We had Jessa's 1st birthday celebration today!

Jessa had a little smash cake and a couple presents from us, I always keep the first few birthdays small and personal. Chad and I bought her a mini kitchen playset and the kids picked a play camera for her. She was pleased with the singing and the gifts. She was hesitant about the cake at first but after a few minutes she dug right into it like an animal. Although Jessa's birthday isn't until the 26th we decided with Thanksgiving and Black Friday next weekend its going to be rather chaotic, besides she has no concept of time! Ha.

We had the kids make us their Christmas List's and now we have a good idea what we're going to get for them. I know that we have a few MUST HAVE items and the rest is just whatever to the kids.

I've been a bad blogger friend.

I will admit it, I've not read many blogs lately. I have not commented. I am a sucky blogger friend. I'm sorry. Don't hate me forever, okay? I'm going to get to reading stat.

I've been busy doing home improvement projects. I've successfully re-tiled and painted the foyer and now I'm in the process of sanding down and painting my kitchen cabinets. Once I finish that job I'm going to paint the kitchen. Life has been pretty boring! Once I finish up I will post before and after pictures :)

Lola is getting big, she is a pretty good puppy. She spends all of her time by Trenton's side, They're BFF's! Duke, Lola, and Trenton are quite the trio.

It's been getting pretty cold at night, could enough for coats and hats! Can you believe that?

My three little monkeys. They play good together and give mama a break... sometimes.

The kids have been playing in the leaves a lot, they LOVE IT! The pile up leaves and toss them about, the giggle fits are incredible.

I try to have them pose, they don't like it. They try hard to appease me, they all get an A for effort. Except Jessa, she was a buttface.

These are the days of our lives...

They're all together... that's a plus, right? It's obvious that they have no desire to be sitting together because they are all off in their own little worlds. They humor mama like good babies.

I made huge flower clips for my girls the other day. Alexis loves them! I should have mounted them on headbands for Alexis and my niece but it completely blew my mind. Whoops. I made smaller everyday flower clips too.


Jessa is used to having stuff on her head. Isn't this ridiculously HUGE?! Poor kid, never knows whats going to be stuck on her head.

I love these two! They're at the point where they play so well together and their communication has reached a whole new level. It's so funny to hear the conversations they have together.

Part of my little family. They're standing in some stream in Saratoga State Park. No, it's NOT the actual Saratoga Spring. That is actually located under a gazebo in the main park area :)

It's like us. We wait until the last minutes for everything. We sold my car in Arizona and had anticipated buying a new one when we had moved here. School starts in 2 weeks and I need a car, being a one car family sucks. Today, we're headed into the car buying world. It's actually my turn to choose the car but I have surrendered that privilege because I want a new fancy ride in a couple of years. In the meantime I'll happily roll my full sized SUV. Chad wants a Subaru STI... I think he is having a quarter life crisis and wants to relive his youth in a race car. I don't really care as long as all of my kids fit in the car. Wish us luck!

Back to school shopping!

I used to love shopping for Alexis, I could buy cute outfits that I loved and it was all about me. Alexis used to be my little doll, I could dress her up and put her in outfits that were in style and we were both happy about it. Not anymore. Alexis has become a fashionista. I like The Children's Place and she loves Justice. The Children's Place has the BEST quality jeans I have bought (aside from the GAP) that are not ultra expensive. I love The Children's Place denim because it doesn't get holes in the knees, that is huge in the Mom World. Justice has a lot of thing I believe are not age appropriate for Alexis so I have to be really careful in there. Our school shopping conversations went something like this:

Me -Holding up an item I think is cute. "Hey, Lex. What about this?"

Alexis- "Um, that's not cute, Mom." Holding up an item she loves "Look, Mom. THIS is what I'm aiming for."

Me- "That's too dressy/skanky/ugly/big."

Alexis- Getting all huffy. "You don't know anything about fashion. You're going to embarrass me with the clothes you choose for school."

Luckily we met in the middle with a lot of stuff. I did end up buying a few $45 outfits/dresses but at least they were cute. In any case, here are a few outfits Alexis arranged this morning.

As you can see Alexis LOVES jean mini's and leggings. She has loved them for as long as I can remember. She will only wear boots with the skirts and leggings/tights. I like the look too, I think it's cute. This is definitely her signature look. She needs more scarfs so if anyone reading this knows where I can get cute kid scarfs or anyone who makes them... HOLLER at me! And of course this is her favorite find overall:

We still need to buy 2 pairs of boots (one black pair and one brown pair) and some tennis shoes. I know we will end up buying Alexis a pair of Uggs this year, the winter weather is brutal here. She likes the Kinsington style boot, I'm still not sure. At that rate we may only be getting one pair of boots. Kohls had a sweet deal on some Nike's, they were only $19.99. They we're not ugly either, I didn't buy them because Chad is sort of a shoe snob and I usually leave the shoe shopping to him.

I took Trenton shopping too, I let him choose what he wanted this year. I don't usually do that because letting a 3 year old choose his clothes usually means lots of tacky Batman/SpongeBob/Micky Mouse print tee's. We ended up with only one tacky shirt, a Phineas and Pherb shirt. He was interested in Alexis and her outfit making so he put two outfits together himself and asked that I take a picture too. here are two of Trenton's outfits:

Not too bad, plus the bottom shirt was on sale at JC Penney's for $1.57! What a steal. That Guitar shirt was something he was really excited about and if I had to guess I would say that the orange guitar shirt is his favorite. He chose a lot of orange, orange is his favorite color, and he feels proud of himself. I like that he is so pleased and proud, I'm glad I gave him the opportunity to feel like a big boy. And of course all of his jeans came from The Children's Place too, in case you were wondering. :D

Jessa scored a little too, obviously she isn't going to school but I found her a couple of pairs of bright and funky leggings.

What do you think?

Chicken pox, sewing, kids!

I'm sure that Jessa has chicken pox now. Luckily, Alexis is just about done with the chicken pox, the itching has stopped and the spots are almost gone. I am glad Alexis had a mild case. Trenton is not showing any signs but I know that can change in an instant. I never had the doctor check Alexis to see if it really is the chicken pox bit it seems pretty clear, it is the chicken pox. It has to be now that Jessa has it too. The red dots never got puss filled or scabbed over. Jessa has not had any change in diet nor detergent and the bumps are exactly like Alexis'. Weird.

I made this pillow today, it turned out sorta of crappy because Jessa was all over me and the fabric. I need to sew after the kids go to bed. I'm thinking of buying a sewing machine soon but I will probably still hand sew a lot, I LOVE IT! I will probably let the kids have this pillow, they always get excited when they get the goods.

I have some fleece and some bright blue/green/yellow fabric that I'm going to make into a blanket for my next give away, I think. It's so cheery.

Jessa was rocking some boots the other day. She is not a little baby, she is in 12 month clothes and size 3 shoe. Jessa is so much taller than the other two when they were babies. I feel like she is growing too fast.

My little chunky bee baby!

The kids played in the water in the baby pool this morning, they had a blast. Trenton is really starting to loosen up, he is so goofy. Alexis always picks on him and he gets upset but now he he will make some joke about her butt or puffy hair and walk away. Thank God he acquired a sense of humor, I think he got it from my side of the family. Chad's family is a little on the dry side.

Since we had visited the water park last week Trenton has been gung-ho about water. He used to HATE water in his face. Not anymore! He carries the map around, from the park, and tells me he is going in this ride and that ride. He is so adventurous and bold... it seemed like it happened over night.

Kids are creative and weird.

Trenton spent a good hour or so describing to me what his TV stand should look like. Apparently the temporary one did not meet his three year old standards. After a long, and repetitive, description... I have gathered that he is interested in a short but taller, blackish or maybe orange, with baseball pictures, Mickey Mouse stickered, with lots of pictures of Kayleigh and Baby Stever (the BFF's youngest 2 children), french fry dispensing, shelfy thing to put toys on and hide stuff from Jessa with a built in refrigerator to store popstickles (popsicles) in. After talking about this for what seemed and eternity he insisted I take the table out of his room that his TV was on. Now he sits on his floor awaiting this revolutionary TV stand he dreamed up.


Alexis spent all morning in her room making this "sling." She reminds me of a sugar glider, I can't help but giggle when I see her in it, and she has spent almost all day swinging in it. I think it's awesome that she calls it a sling instead of a hammock because I wear Jessa in a sling all the time.

In other news, Jessa has a new love for the air conditioning vents and the air blowing through them. I was attempting to make a video f her going out the doggy door but she was distracted by the air blowing up at her through the floor.

So, I've decided to conduct a social experiment of sorts on Twitter. I tweeted something about killing my dog because he had misbehaved and I lose 26 followers. Today I said something about stuffing a baby in the oven and lost 11 followers in a few short minutes. New favorite game, I think so. New favorite hashtag is #socialexperiment. What do you suppose I shoud say next?

Bye bye to baby bottles.

We have officially switched Jessa from baby bottles to sippy cups. If you read regularly you would know that I mentioned that once Jessa chewed through a nipple, and made it completely usable, all the baby bottles would be retired. Well, it happened. we have lots of sippy cups, I really like the cheapo plastic cups that are take and toss for the high chair/feeding times but I want one for when she's cruising around the house that will not leak and will be chew proof. Guess what? I did find a sippy cup geared toward older babies, I think the cup packaging said 12+ months, and it is awesome. It's by NUK and it's 10oz. Jessa is a goat, homegirl eats and drinks a LOT. If you're interested click here and check it out yourself. That totally sounded like a goofy ad, didn't it? I should be getting paid for this crap.



When did my son turn into E.T.? This kid is skinny. Alexis is so muscular I just assumed he would be too. Nah, he is a skinny petite thing. He is such a nerd, I love him. Even if he does act like a fool every time I take out the camera.


You can't say this isn't cute. You just can't. I love when they all play nicely together. It doesn't happen often but when it does I feel honored to capture the moment. /sappy mama jabber

Oh, and one last thing. Why do people always assume my kids have different daddies? Is it because Trenton and Jessa look so much alike with their light features? Let me clear this up world; all three of my kids belong to Chad. Alexis isn't Hispanic. Alexis looks just like her daddy and while I understand for the last 5 years chad hasn't been around much, GO NAVY!, so people cannot see the resemblance, it is extremely rude to ask me or talk about it in my vicinity. I mean really, why does it matter anyway?

Six Flags!

We recently left Jessa with some friends for the weekend and took Alexis and Trenton to Six Flags. In the Six Flags there is a Splash Water Kingdom, the kids LOVED it. When we go next time I will definitely bring Jessa. Not only is there a lot of things for her to do in the water park but a ton for her do in amusement park as well. One of the most memorable moments while we were at Six Flags was the Desperado. The Desperado is the typical Log Jammer type ride, a mild water type coaster for the whole family. Alexis was giggling and happy until the final drop, she was screaming bloody murder and was crying at the end of the drop. It was epic. Trenton was excited and had a great time but in the picture (OMG $9.99 for a 4x6) he looks very anxious, like his mama. Chad, clearly was having a great time.



I have anxiety issues (check my expression in the picture, hahah!). I probably had more than a fair share of panic attacks while at the park. I'm not a roller coaster fan and the only thing I dislike more are carnival rides. I had to take one for the team on a carnival ride, the Condor. The kids needed to be with a person taller than 58" and you guessed it, Chad and I are both taller than 58". You know how condors fly, right? Yeah, this ride was a whirly-spinning-barfalicious beast. I held my breath, closed my eyes tightly, and held on tight. We went around and around for several minutes. I felt like I had a hangover the remainder of the day. I will happily ride a roller coaster but rest assured... I will never, repeat never, go on any type of carnival ride EVER again. That ruined my day.



Trenton is a silly boy. He is such a butt, he does his best to mess up every picture he is in. I wish I could capture his happy demeanor without him being a geek. I love these babies. They're all so different but so much alike. Jessa has such a laid back demeanor and is such a happy baby. Alexis is strong and bright. I have the perfect mix in my babies.

Blinded by the light!

With a lot of work going on at the Macready house I haven't really posted any work in progress pictures. Today a friend helped me assemble Lexi's bunk beds, which I had lovingly spray painted Tulip pink this week, and I wanted to share some pictures! I had mentioned that we had painted her room Chickadee' yellow and lots of people's eyes got wide and said "Ooooh, that's nice." meaning "WTF are you thinking, lady?!" in any case you can now see her theme coming together. It's still a work in progress but here it is!



Alexis LOVES it! She says she is living the dream, hahaha. She still says we need finishing touches and I agree. She is such a diva sometimes. I'm just happy that it turned out as I had envisioned it and that Alexis is thrilled.



In other news; I finally put up Jessa's crib! She had been sleeping in a make shift baby cot, it was pretty much a papasan cushion surrounded by moving boxes, and let me tell you... little Miss Jessa was just as pleased as her older sister in her new room!



And I forgot to mention this last week, Jessa had successfully found and exited through the doggy door.



Haha, Jessa had a visator this afternoon, Gavin. Gavin is 8 months old and a pretty sweet boy! She sure has a way with men... dontcha' say?



Trenton's room is a work in progress. I really do not want to pain his room but Chad is pretty adamant. I'm at the point where I am just going to stonewall him, I'm just going to set up Trenton's bed tomorrow. If the furniture is moved in then he cannot pain. Besides, why should Trenton have to sleep on his mattress on the floor? I feel guilty because the girls rooms are done and the have their bed but he does not. My poor, sweet, boy. Obviously he doesn't mind but I do.

I hope you all have a great evening!

A post deticated to my little Biscuit, Alexis.

The first born. The leader. The bossiest little thing I ever did come across. Alexis is beyond her years and has so many questions and so many ideas. I'm proud to call her my daughter. She has grown into such a caring, thoughtful, interesting child. She is her daddy's carbon copy, no doubt. The only thing she inherited from me is that huge mouth/smile or hers.



Alexis has a mean streak, she shoots these icy glares when Trenton does something socially unacceptable or if she is really agitated. I know she learns this from me but i swear my glares aren't even half as fierce as hers.



I can't believe she will be entering second grade this fall and have her 7th birthday next February. Every day she gets more beautiful and we face new obstacles, like today she wanted to know about menstruation *facepalm*, and we both learn new things. Alexis has taught me patience, Lord knows I had none prior to children, and I'm really lucky to have her.



Alexis is really good with her brother and sister. She shares the same 'no nonsense' attitude I have and sometimes I have to get onto her and remind her she is not their mother. She is often bossy and demanding with Trenton but he doesn't seem to mind (I do though, poor Trenton) and she treats her baby sister like a superstar. She loves to help with Jessa, she loves to sing and play with her, and she loves teaching her new things.




All in all I feel really feel lucky to have three great babies in my life. Yeah, I know Alexis is six and Trenton is three but they'll always be my babies, so will Jessa as she grows.

A post dedicated to Miss Jessa Eden.

Oh Jessa, she's so fun. She is quick to learn things and dedicated like her older sister. It started with the clicking, your brother sat down with you and clicked his tongue in your face for a good hour, you tried and tried to mimic him and one day you clicked. Now you click all the time. Now she has moved onto winking, it's so funny. It's an art, I'm sure she will be winking, successfully, in no time. She is trying to wink in the picture below.



I like when she fake cries to see is Alexis will come and entertain her. Alexis is like her second mother, she is always helping and she enjoys spending time with Jessa. The fake cry is annoying but it seems to work every time with her older sister.



Jessa seems to know she is the stuffing in the kid Oreo, she knows she is the baby and she think she runs this house. Well, she does a little! Once she gives that crooked little grin or makes eye contact we all have a tendency of melting like butter over popcorn.



Jessa has awesome dance moves too, I think she get's it from my BFL, Erin. She is mastering The Sprinkler and making Erin proud, no doubt!



Jessa is such a sweeet and easy baby, I'm blesses to have such a sweet baby in my life! Sometimes she is a pain in the ass but she was worth it in the long haul, I can't imagine life without her.