They are three ...

and yes, that's a rice cake under Trace's candles. His choices were pie, cupcakes or rice krispie treats and he chose a rice cake. These are the tribulations of our lives.

At three years old, Trace

• loves to help dad work with tools. He's the best little helper going and wears his googles for safety (even some days for lunch).
  
  
• eats chicken, peanut butter, crackers and pears. That about sums it up. He's also recently fallen in love with Starburst candies. I'm thinking we could get him to do just about anything for a Starburst.
  
  
• is captivated by anything with wheels. Trains, trucks, tractors ... you name it.
  
  
• says "mommy" 52,329 times per day. Half of those times he doesn't have anything else to say, I think he's just checking that I'm still around.
  
  
• can turn stormy in an instant when things don't go his way.
  
  
• is always the first little person up in the morning.
  
  
• gives the best good night hugs.
  
  
• can get dressed and undressed with some help.
  
  
• loves Blake Shelton's "Hillybilly Bone" (which ironically features Trace Adkins).
  
  
• thinks dogs make the world go around.
  
  
• can simultaneously make all three of his sisters scream for different reasons.
  
  
• is looking forward to the new Toy Story movie.
  
  
• is the best friend a mom could ask for.
  
  
• picks up NONE of his toys.
  
  
• has, at times, been threatened with duct tape and dismemberment.

At three, Alysse

• can drink faster than any child you've ever seen.
  
  
• climbs anything and everything.
  
  
• loves her older sisters and wants to do their "big girl" things.
  
  
• has been dubbed "most likely to pursue a career in competition eating" among our offspring.
  
  
• frequently thinks she's a cat.
  
  
• has been given the nickname P. Pie McSkittle (among other misnomers).
  
  
• called Alivia "Liv" for the first time just days ago. She typically refers to Alivia (her best friend) as "Pixie Mae."
  
  
• can get dressed and undressed all by herself.
  
  
• never shuts up. Ever.
  
  
• is the child closest to flying our nest.
  
  
• makes my heart sing beyond compare.
  
  
• absolutely, positively loves books.
  
  
• can't wait to start preschool.
  
  
• asks if her teeth are "sparkly" after she brushes them.
  
  
• gets frightened easily.

Now on with the year of fear ... two three year olds. Yikes!

Icy fun

The up side to this, umm, winter weather is all the long, slippery icicles hanging everywhere. The kids love them. They're a bit mysterious as the really long ones remain out of touch.

We brought one in the house this afternoon to check out up close and personal. Oh, the coldness. Oh, the roof sludge they are ingesting.

Later, another icicle made its way into their bath. It was nearly as long as the tub and made for a terrific bathtime science lesson.

Confessions of a real, desperate housewife

> My blog abandonment is a direct result of some funk I've been living in. Totally uninspired and completely lazy. I suspect I'll snap out of it about the time spring rolls around.

> This photo taken during Alivia's preschool Valentine's Day party last Thursday was the first picture I had taken of the kids in three weeks. Had I picked up the camera in those weeks any photos taken would have involved snot or fighting. I did the world a favor by not documenting either.

> Some days I get tired of wiping behinds. It's true ... I do a lot of wiping.

> The girls love these pumpkin spice scones. I hate making them. It's the whole grating frozen butter thing that gets me. I make them anyway.

> I recently finished reading Going Rogue: An American Life by Sarah Palin and enjoyed it (Mandy and Gina pick yourselves up now). And to answer my mom's question, "no, I still wouldn't vote for her."

> I spend much more time reading story books than memoirs; as such, The Lion & the Mouse, There and All the World are my new favorites.

> We're approaching birthday number three for Trace and Alysse. I really struggle with their celebration each year. There's something bittersweet about it: the joy that we've made it through another year and the sadness that another year is gone. It's the happiest/saddest day of the year for me.

> Alena renews my faith in the public school system. Her talk of book spines and speech bubbles makes me giddy.

> All three bathrooms in our house are spotlessy clean. This is akin to the planets aligning.

> I consumed so much coffee today that I most likely won't sleep until Friday; thus explaining the clean bathrooms and return to blogging.

> My heart is heavy for a sister who is dealing with about all she can handle. I know, though, she'll muddle through ... afterall, you never let an asshole get the best of you.

> I haven't missed an episode of The Bachelor. It truly is television at its worst, but I'm religiously sucked into the drama and smut every Monday.

> Right now, there's nothing much I like more than listening to the kids sing along with Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" on the radio.

> Alivia and I could forget the rest of the world if put in a bookstore and given the chance. This makes my heart happy.

> I'm selfishly wishing away the next six weeks or so. We desperately need warmer weather, a thawing out and open windows.