Trike-a-thon!

Last week Landen's preschool held a trike-a-thon to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. We explained to Landen that the children there are sick and by raising money he would help them maybe feel better. My little guy has always had a big heart and the idea of children being sick and unable to play and have fun really struck him. He really wanted to raise money and help those children by doing as many laps as he could! I am so proud of him! He rode his bike for more laps than I could count and raised over $100! Yeah, Landen!




"I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you." The Beatles

25 Random Things About 27 Year-Old Me

Monday was my 27th birthday. Thank you, thank you...I know I don't look a day over 20...You're too kind. ;)

Anyway...I was asked to post 25 random things about myself when I was 25 and I thought this would be fun to do every couple of years or so to see what has changed. I am leaving the ones that are still true (italicized means I've left it the same), and changing the others. Here we go...

1. Getting pregnant with Landen changed the entire course of my life and I’m grateful.
2. When no one is looking I pop a piece of good chocolate in my mouth. Alright, sometimes more than a piece.
3. If you play Connect the Dots with the freckles on my neck it would look like a necklace.
4. I get irrationally angry if I haven't had coffee within 10 minutes of waking up.
5. I clean compulsively.
6. I don't like the idea of turning 30 so when the time comes I will be turning "29 again." I'd appreciate everyone's cooperation.
7. My favorite movie is Pride & Prejudice...the really long 1995 version. But I don't own it.
8. My babies are perfect. If you’ve met them, I’m sure you agree.
9. I'm sure Neil is "one of the good ones." Why? On a particularly stressful day last week he left work early and came home with flowers and cake. Great, right?! Oh, and my grandma likes him. There's all the proof I need.
10. I daydream a lot. I think it’s because I have a short attention span. Really short.
11. I read celebrity gossip magazines. It's my thing...don't you judge me.
12. Jobs I've had in the order I've had them: waitress, retail sales associate, executive assistant, ice cream scooper, bartender, global intern, nanny, telemarketer, magazine advertising sales, retail sales/beauty dept associate, standardized testing scorer (still do this in the spring), and homemaker.
13. When adjusting the TV volume I never leave it on the number thirteen.
14. I wear flats 98% of the time.
15. I have 3 babies and a stretch mark FREE belly! I'm so allowed to brag about that.
16. I love plants but mostly kill them. Regardless of how hard I try.
17. I think chocolate and caramel are by far the best combination on the planet. A Blue Moon with a slice of orange takes 2nd place.
18. I think “low-fat” means the same thing as “tastes bad.”
19. I pray my metabolism never slows down because I have no will power when it comes to food and also refer to the above statement.
20. Nights out dancing with my friends is what I miss most about college.
21. Too often I "bite my tongue" when I should say what I am thinking instead. I want to work on this.
22. I L-O-V-E to shop...for anyone but myself.
23. I hate for anyone to see my house in disorder which is probably why I do not like unannounced visitors.
24. I'm a Cubs fan from the south side of Chicago. *Gasp!*
25. My favorite place to be is sitting in my glider rocking my baby girl while watching my older children laughing and playing together.

There they are! So far 27 feels pretty good and I'm thinking will be a great year. :)

"Give me your answer, fill in the form. Mine for evermore. Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?" The Beatles

Soccer Star

Landen began soccer last week through parks and recreation. He really enjoyed the first practice and is already looking forward to playing more. Not a surprise since Landen loves all things sports and it helps that his best friend is on the same team....the pink team. Yes the pink team that is all boys. It's a manly pink. ;)

Here's my soccer star! Pay close attention the how Spider-Man is posed and then scroll down to the next picture. :)


Best picture of the day...Are the boys talking soccer strategy or about the little lady in the distance? ;)

Go team manly pink!

Maybe wait one second...

Okay, go!




"Yes I'm gonna be a star." The Beatles

Baby Boogie

Remember how I said Leya enjoys her play mat? Well I got some super cute video of her moving her little body to the music. She sure can cut a rug. And in case you're wondering, she gets those moves from me.

Baby Boogy from Melissa Alcorn on Vimeo.

Anyone notice I saved the video title with "boogy" spelled like the stuff that comes out of your nose rather than the appropriate spelling of "boogie" referring to dance? Oops.

"In this world there is nothing else I'd rather do, 'cause I'm happy just to dance with you." The Beatles

Leya is 2 Months Old!

I can't believe you are already 2 months old! Those last weeks of my pregnancy with you just crawled for me as I awaited your arrival and now it seems that time is on fast-forward. In this last month you have changed so much. You are now sleeping a good 5 hour stretch at night from around 9pm-ish until 2ish. Mommy just needs to get into bed before 11 so I can sleep with you! After your long stretch of sleep you wake up every hour and a half or so and love to be cuddled with for about an hour or two before we start the day. Daddy loves that time too.
At around 5 weeks old you got a terrible case of baby acne. You poor thing...your skin was all red and bumpy but cleared up just in time for Easter with the help of a cream your pediatrician gave you (took 3 days!).

You still love being held, especially by Mommy. You would hang out in your baby carrier all day if I let you, all curled up against my chest. So I "baby-wear" often. You enjoy your baby gym and kick and wiggle happily when I place you on it. You really like the dangling toys and lights.


You are trying really hard to coo and talk and it startles you when you do make a loud sound. At around 5 1/2 weeks old you began to smile. You smile mostly in the morning during your first diaper change of the day. And then you make us work for those smiles.


You enjoy diaper changes and bath time. You instantly calm during those times.

When you want something you cry very loudly. However you are easily pleased. Most often you just want to be held. And when you kick and fuss at the same time, then you want your to eat. You are a beauty! Your eyes are still a pretty shade of gray, your eyelashes could make mascara models envious, and your hair continues to lighten. You have nice full cheeks and an adorable little dimple in the right one.



You seem to have discovered your tongue this week and I notice you sticking it out and moving it around your mouth all the time. You love watching your brother and sister play and do not seem to mind the large amount of hugs and kisses they give you all day.

Just like your brother and sister, you are refusing a pacifier 99% of the time. I can't say I blame you; why take a piece of rubber when Mommy is available 24/7?

Yesterday you got sick for the very first time and are fighting off a bronchial virus today. Not the best way to spend your two month birthday but I'm sure you are enjoying all of the snuggles you are getting today. Happy 2 months, Sweet Littlest Love, Leya! You are such a joy and we all love you so much. Get better soon!

Our Ballerina on her 2 month birthday!




"I give her all my love, that's all I do..." The Beatles

Babies and Blooms

The peach trees in our back yard were covered in blooms this week and it was absolutely beautiful.

So we added to that beauty by putting our babies in front of them...



"Everyone smiles as you drift past the flowers, that grow so incredibly high..." The Beatles

Leya's Official 2 Month Stats

Leya-bug had her two month well baby visit yesterday and here are her official stats...

*8 lbs 10 oz, 50th percentile!
*20.25 in long, 25th percentile
*Head size in 50th percentile

...we've never had a baby weigh in this high on the charts so this is new! We all think she will catch up her sister in no time, but it's still early. She might flat line on growth like Lana did; remember how chubby Lana was as a baby?

Leya also got her first round of shots (vaccines) yesterday. Poor thing was in quite a bit of pain last night. She just wanted to be held and would burst into tears...yes tears!...if anything even touched her thighs (where she got her shots). She cried into my chest for a long time before falling asleep around 9pm. She slept all night until 6am this morning! She would stir a bit and whine a little but did not wake up. She did wake up very hungry this morning since she is accustomed to nursing at least 2-3 times at night, and seems to be feeling much better today.

So Leya is a perfectly healthy little lady and her doctor is very pleased with her growth. Yay Leya!

Stayed tuned for Leya's post tomorrow when she is officially 2 months old!

"It's getting better all the time..." The Beatles

Got cars? Landen does!

Landen's love of cars began when he was just a baby and he has accumulated quite the collection over the last 4 years. Yesterday he asked me if I knew how many cars he had. Honestly I had no clue other than the generic answer of "a lot." You see, whenever we pass by the Hot Wheels or Matchbox car section of a store, Landen almost always gets to pick one out. They cost $1 and he is a very well behaved boy so we figure why not indulge him with a new car. People also know how much he loves cars so he usually receives them as gifts on holidays and his birthday. So like I said, it is quite the collection.

I wanted to show him just how many he had which led to us bringing out his car bin and dumping it out. Then we looked for cars around the house- in his fabric bins in the living room and his toy bins in his bedroom, and this is what we found (organized by color-one guess as to who's idea this was).

Neil didn't think this was a good enough way to show just how many cars he has so we came up with this project...



There's well over 240 cars here, and did I mention he has even more than this? I didn't bother looking in his bed, in his school bag, in our mini-van, in Neil's car or in his race track bin; places where I am certain more cars are stashed.

Landen was very amazed at just how many he owns and so were we! He has been playing with them since he woke up this morning and it's so fun to watch! I am not looking forward to when he turns 16 and begins driving...something tells me an old beater of a car will not do for our little guy!

"Baby you can drive my car...beep beep'm, beep beep, yeah!" The Beatles

Happy Easter! (photos-galore)

A couple of days late but I do hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend! We sure did with the small exception of our big guy getting a belly ache Saturday night. But he felt better after a good nights sleep.

Before we left town for the weekend we had to prep the house for yet another open house so the Easter Bunny thought it would be a great idea to come a day early so the kids would be entertained with their baskets while Neil and I cleaned. Great idea, Easter Bunny, but next time leave the plastic grass out of the baskets so I don't have to vacuum and sweep twice! ;)

Happy kids...


Sign language for "Looks like the Easter Bunny picked good stuff!" She will hate me for that in the future.

This year we spent Easter weekend with some of my side of the family. It was our first trip up north with Leya-bug and Easter was a perfect opportunity for us to introduce her to some of my family (yes, Leya...all those people and there are more! You'll love having such a big family, trust me!).

Mima, Papa, and all of their grandchildren on Easter Eve. Look how pale and almost green my baby boy was. Poor thing. :(


Ready for church...


You have to love fake smiles...


And then a certain someone decided to steal the show...

Daddy and his baby girls...

Daddy and all three of his girls...

Mommy and her handsome boy...

Mommy and her littlest Sweet Love...

My gorgeous family...Yes, I color coordinated us! I always do on special occasions and am lucky enough that my hubby never protests. :)

After church and lunch; napping cousins who are a little over 6 months apart...notice Leya's sleepy little smile.



Leya meeting her Great-Papa Nico and Great-Mama Tina...


Waiting patiently for the Easter Egg hunt...


"At both ends of the road, to the left and to the right, above us and below us, out and in, there's no place that you're not in. Oh, won't you hear me, Lord." The Beatles