Happy New Year

New year, new me. That is my goal. I am not sure what that means exactly, except that I am currently trying out the Atkins diet. For those unfamiliar, it is low carb, hugh protein. Now, I am not a sweet tooth by any means, but after two weeks ALL I WANT IS A CANDY BAR! But I am sticking to it. I feel like regardless I am eating less and that has to be bett for me anyway. Luckily Joe is doing it with me so that makes it a little easier. And not to worry, I am not making the kids follow this diet. They are eating all the goldfish and peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches they want.

Speaking of the kids. I am feeling so lucky to be the mother of three boys. Just in the last few weeks I have seen all 3 of them grow up so much. Nicolas is trying to learn how to use the potty. He knows that if he finally poops in the potty he will get a chocolate candy bar. But he is willing and trying and that is all we can ask for at this point. In addition to learning the basics of the bathroom Nicolas is just a riot to be around. He is communicating so much and learning so much and I have this sneaky feeling the kid is going to be on TV someday. So many of the things he says sound just like a commercial. Part of that is the wording, but it is also his inflection. He has always been really expressive and it is becoming more and more apparent the older he gets. For instance, this morning he was eating an orange and said, "wow mommy, this is juicy!" while he held up the orange to show me. Now, he certainly has his two year old moments. It seems like all the toys in the house belong to him and should you mistakenly try to play with one you will suffer his wrath. And it isn't just toys, he finds cell phones, keys, cameras, you name it, if he finds it, it is his. The kid lives by the creedo "finders keepers, losers weepers." But mostly he is just so much fun to be around. His laugh and sense of humor are infectious and if you know him then you know he has that look, the look that says I am thinking things you can't even imagine, and I ain't tellin any of you what they are!

That brings me to my other two amazing boys. I get asked a lot by other mothers of two boys or two girls, how doyour boys play together? Well, the truth is, they play together so well that I often forget to encourage them to invite other friends over! They have a built in play date everyday. And Nicolas is even getting in on that action now too, which is fun to watch. Of course they have their moments, as all siblings do, but for the most part they are best buddies and find it difficult to be apart sometimes. If I do plan a playdate it has to be here or else one or the other gets really sad and feels left out. The other night Anthony fell asleep downstairs because he wasn't feeling well so we just let him stay there until we went upstairs and Dom could not fall asleep in their room without Anthony there. It was really sweet. They take care of each other, teach each other new things, and encourage each other. They are also really into this new kids show called "Big Time Rush" which is about a group of guy friends from MN who form a band and move to CA. They sing a song the boys LOVE! They sing it all the time and Joe and I keep having visions of our three being on stage someday as a band of their own. Speaking of singing, we got Nicolas a kids' MP3 player for Christmas. It is like a radio so they can carry it around. Originally I put some songs for Nicolas but then the boys had the great idea of putting theme songs to their shows on it, and themes to Star Wars and Indiana Jones, stuff like that. So we have all sorts of TV show themes on there and they run around the house singing them all day long. It is so hilarious.

To end, here is the funniest thing any of the kids have said lately. The other day we were eating lunch and Joe asked Anthony a question about something. Anthony answered and asked if he was right. Daddy said yes and Anthony's response was "my brain was right! thank you brain!"