Come What May

Thank Heavens for Bathtubs and Laundry Machines

2012-01-23T11:35:00.001-05:00

I have just finished a week I would be very happy to never repeat in my entire life. I thought the first half was bad. From Monday to Thursday we had a contractor working on some home repairs the landlord had set up. I hadn’t really given any thought about how that might change our routine. That as dumb. It was an exhausting few days keeping the kids out of the way. I was carrying them everywhere, keeping them behind closed doors, in their highchairs, or on several outings a day, just to pass the time. They were just too interested in the tools, and wet paint. It took a lot out of me. We were all pretty cranky about the stress is caused on all of us, and although the man was very nice, clean, and fast about his work, we were happy to say goodbye on Thursday afternoon. Penny was sick from Tuesday on, so we couldn’t go downstairs and play with her, so I spent some quality time with my babies as I got creative with places to go. Here are some of the outings the babies and I did together.

Annapolis Mall play place (No pictures. I was too busy making sure everyone was accounted for, and worrying about germs.)

Ikea for a late lunch (on free kids meal Tuesday!)

Wendy’s Drive Thru for Breakfast.

Visited KC at work. All the women came running.

Bennett was slightly obsessed with the elevator. I think he yelled “elevata!” a hundred times.

Another mall where we hung out at Bass Pro Shops,

and got some self serve frozen yogurt. Of course I couldn’t decide on one flavor when they had 8 to choose from.

They also though it was so great to play on the the furniture that was moved around for the wall repairing/painting.

But I was excited about the weekend, so I pushed through all that with something fun to look forward to. I had been planning a surprise guys night for KC for the past couple of weeks for his birthday on Saturday. I emailed his best buddies, and had a menu written up, and was getting really excited to see how he’d react to everything. I hid food all over the kitchen where he wouldn’t think to look, and made sure to wash any dish that might cause questioning. He just thought we just had plans to have dinner with the Ribeiras for his birthday. So the day was approaching, and on Friday night I sent out a reminder to all the guys. I was exhuasted from the busy week and went to bed at 9. That was all before the evil wrath of the stomach flu hit us around 11 pm that night.

Alex started the fun, and about 10 minutes later, Ruby woke up, so as a precaution, we just got her out of bed, and it was a good thing cause she followed his lead a few minutes later. So our hands were very full with two children purging every 10 minutes or so, and my mind started to race as I wondered what would happen if Bennett woke up doing the same. Well I didn’t have much time to think, because minutes later, we heard the tell tale sounds coming from his crib. I said to KC in a very matter of fact tone, “Okay honey, WHAT are we going to do?” They kids wouldn’t sit still since they felt a little better for a few minutes after each episode, and I didn’t want to run after everyone all night, or have to buy any new rugs. And it was so frequent that we had to keep eyes on everyone at all times. I didn’t have time to panic. I needed a plan ASAP. So my first thought was to strip them down and put them all in the tub. And so we did. And there we stayed for about an hour, changing the water as necessary, as they watched Finding Nemo. It worked like a charm. They’d beg to get out at times, mostly when they were upset and traumatized after throwing up, and wanted to be held, but were alright again once the water was changed and they felt better. I really don’t know what else we could’ve done.

Since it seemed like the worst was over, we got them out, put big shirt over their pjs, just in case (we have more of those than pajamas), lined the living room with sheets and towels, and spent the rest of the night there. We had a pretty good system as they kids would show signs that it was their turn, we’d take care of it, and keep an eye on who we expected would be next (yes, we started a chart). We made it through with minimal cleanup, which is saying something considering Ruby’s and Bennett’s hatred of any catching device. They’d resist like crazy, making it an even more horrible experience for everyone, but we restrained them as needed, and it worked out okay, even though we were all out of breath afterward.

As we were sitting there all night, I told KC about the party I had planned, and was nearly in tears thinking about how it was all out the window now. He was sweet and said he really appreciated everything. I’ll definitely make it up to him somehow.

I thought it would be over after a couple hours (Ruby had a night of throwing up the week before Christmas that only lasted a couple hours and then it was over—and I thought that was bad), but as they continued, I started to worry. I called our on-call pediatrician at about 2 AM (sorry doc!) and she said if they aren’t as least slowing down in the next couple hours, we should take them to the ER. Oh my, that sounded like an even worse nightmare, trying to keep things contained in the car, stroller, waiting room and then figuring out how to hold everyone in the ER as they got examined, and given possible IVs. And we were starting to feel it ourselves. Yikes. We weren’t going anywhere. We then asked Jeff to come up to help with some blessings around 3:00. They were all beat by then, and were just flopped all over the living room. I helped Ruby through her last little sick moment for the night around then while she just laid on the floor, and hardly moved, the poor girl, and there she stayed and slept the rest of the night. The boys continued, though more spaced out, until about 8 AM. We’d all shut our eyes for a little while, but when we’d hear the sad whimpers, we took care of it, and started all over again.

That night is pretty far up on the list of the worst nights of my life.

The rest of the morning, was everyone catching a little sleep here and there. Luckily we got a few quiet hours out of each of them, though at slightly different times, making it pretty frustrating for us. I was so nauseous then, but remembered I had some pills for such an occasion that I took. After a nap, I was feeling like the worst of it was over, thank goodness.

When they woke up, the poor dehydrated kids were begging for “a dink, a dink!” We put tiny amount of diluted Pedialyte in bottles so they’d drink it slowly, not wanting to upset their weak stomachs further. They just begged for more. The rest of the day was diluted juice, and crackers, with a few bites of bananas here and there. They wanted it faster that I was willing to give it to them the poor kids. They had their happy moments, and their lethargic, sad moments, but we made it through the day in a blur, and put them to bed at 5:30.

I went on a sanitizing frenzy. I knew we might not be done with this, but my germaphobic tendencies didn’t care. I wanted it clean for at least a moment. Throughout that night and day I think I did about 8 loads of laundry, even if it was just blankets and pillows in the same room as the kids. (And I think I have about that much more to do again now.) I kept most toys and books away from them so I’d have less to sanitize when this is all over.

It wasn’t two hours after I had the bathroom shiny and smelling all antibacterial, at about 8:00 PM, that we heard Bennett start to cry, and then we found ourselves right where we were the night before. Ruby woke up as I was fixing up B’s crib, and began again, and a few minutes later, Alex was up. He was pretty cheerful, but we got him out of his bed anyway, and sure enough, that happiness turned into sadness within the half hour. Crazy how synchronized their little bodies are. We started our routine again, and the poor pitiful children just had nothing left. They just weren’t themselves, looking at us with droopy eyes, so confused at what was happening to them. They couldn’t even sit up. We were SO relieved when, after the last episode at about 10:00, they all seemed to stay asleep wherever they decided to land on the floor. We left them there, afraid to wake them if we moved them to their cribs. We took turns camping out on the couch. Around 2:00 I woke up to Alex’s darling face staring right at mine. He was probably so confused, so I’m glad he found me. After I held him for a moment, and saw that he was okay, I put him in his crib. I did the same with Ruby when she woke up at 3, and Bennett stayed right there on the floor until 6 AM.

They all woke up around then, and luckily I had prepared watered-down apple juice pops the night before, which they enjoyed thoroughly. When they were still begging for liquids, I made a Pedialyte slush in the blender, and that help them to eat it slowly. I sent KC on a popsicle run sine they really liked them. I used a trick I’m sure I saw on Pintrest to put a cup under the popsicle. It worked great! The rest of Sunday was spent much like the day before, with a serious amount of Backyardigans, Sesame Street, and a LOT Of sleeping. We were all zombies. KC and I were feeling closer to ourselves by then, which was a great relief.

We knew Penny’s bug lasted a few nights, so we prepared for the night, and eventually fell asleep before we heard anything from the kids. I woke up every couple hours worried that I’d heard something, but was pleasantly surprised when all was quiet. They woke up around 6. We actually made it through the night, puke-free! I couldn’t believe it. They were all completely parched and starving, and we felt pretty comfortable letting them drink to their hearts’ content. I think Alex ate two bananas in 5 minutes. We are crossing our fingers that this is all behind us. We know we aren’t completely out of the woods yet, so we are still taking it easy, but it’s nice to see some semblance of our old life again.

We are in desperate need of some fresh air, and a change of scenery. And we are excited that it just so happens that my mom flies in tomorrow! What great timing. We need some fun around here! And I’ll be sure to have the place spic and span by the time she arrives. This nastiness stops here!

Sorry if you felt this was tmi. I tried to keep the details pretty vague so you wouldn’t have to live through it like we did. But I just wanted to document it because I really felt like this was a real initiation into parenthood for me. A milestone of sorts. It have always been frightened about this part of being a mom, and hoped I would know how to handle it. Remember how I said Ruby was sick a few weeks ago? Well, that night I was a basket case, and couldn’t stop freaking out about the possibility of everyone getting sick at once. I think it was just the unknown that was getting to me. And then the boys didn’t get it, so I let that thought leave quickly, not even allowing myself to wonder about it anymore. But when it actually happened, I was thankful that I was able to put my anxiety aside and focus on what was required of me. I had some pretty low moments, worrying, and wondering when this nightmare would end. But we all made it through, and now I don’t have to wonder anymore about what a situation like this would be like. The pressure is off a little bit. Of course, I would be the happiest lady alive if this never happened again, but at least I know that we can live through it if we have to. Am I sounding crazy by saying all of this? Is/Was anyone else afraid of these parts of parenthood, or am I just a nutcase? We’ve been trying our hardest to keep these kids in a quarantine again this winter, but somehow something got through. You can bet I’m going to up my precautions from here on out. Homeschooling sounds like a good idea about now.

Happy 35th KC!

2012-01-21T09:58:00.002-05:00

Today we get to celebrate his birthday by trying to catch up on our sleep from staying up the ENTIRE NIGHT with three babies, each throwing up every 5-20 minutes. Really, the entire night. From 11 pm until 8 am. You do the math. And it will be extra fun because the two of us are now feeling the lovely symptoms of the hideous bug. And we are also so happy that we have to cancel your surprise guys night that I have been secretly planning for weeks, and cooking for for days. This is going to be the best birthday ever!

P.S. Have you ever wondered what happens when toddler triplets get a really bad stomach bug at the exact same time and there are only two adults present? I never wanted to think about it because I was too afraid. And now I know I had good reason to be.

Sometimes you just gotta let go.

2012-01-11T10:43:00.001-05:00

I must have forgotten to rubber band the toy cupboard door closed, and the babies took full advantage. But they were happy, and I was able to bake bread and do laundry, etc., in a whine-free environment, so I guess getting everything out at once is okay now and then. I’m putting my toy police badge away for today. Good thing we aren’t expecting any company at this precise moment.

The irony is, at one point, Alex was cheerfully singing the clean up song as he was stacking blocks.

I’m glad I have a good book to listen to for when I decide to tackle this. Or I might just wait for KC to get home.

I never could stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve.

2012-01-06T12:13:00.001-05:00

But I did remember to say Rabbit Rabbit first thing in the morning, so that ought to count for something. (I NEVER remember to do this, so saying it on the first of the first was extra exciting, not that I’m in any way superstitious.)

We had a fun week leading up to the big day. KC was able to take an extra day off, besides the observed holiday weekdays, which made me just all around content. Besides having fun just lounging around, or going on little outings together (or by myself!), We also had some fun plans lined up.

We were invited to the Millers on Thursday. The Murphys also made their way over for the fun. We really missed some other friends that couldn’t make it. We all became really close when were were newly married, but are not in the same ward anymore, so this reunion was such a blast. I even let the kids stay up extra late, I was having such a great time catching up with my girls like old times, and that doesn’t happen often. While the kids were overstimulated and clingy at times, and dinner was kind of crazy, even with their boosters and a movie playing, we were still able to truly enjoy ourselves and. Molly made delicious stuffed shells for dinner, which my kids also really liked when we finally got them to calm down and eat. There are more toys than my kids have ever seen at their house, and an awesome back yard as well. Since Molly’s kids were allowed to walk around with chocolate covered faces, I cautiously let mine as well. But I mostly followed them around to prevent chocolaty hand prints everywhere. The ride up was a bit on the whiny side at times, but the ride home was heavenly. The only thing that came out of their mouths was exclamations about all the Christmas lights they saw, and then saying goodbye to those lights when they were out of sight. Though a couple hours late to bed, they went down as quietly as I’ve ever heard them. We were so glad we made the trip.

We were also invited to another little gathering at a friends house on Friday night (the youth were having a dance on Saturday, so to make it easier to get babysitter, they made the party for Friday, which we appreciated), where we were expecting to see a lot of the same people. Since many of them were planning on bringing their kids, and the hosts kids had bronchitis, the crowd was considerably smaller. But the group there was great fun, and the food was so delicious. We stayed much later than we had expected, and had a great time, catching up, and playing dominos and garage band.

So on the actual New Year’s Eve, KC and I got to enjoy our quiet night together, eating shredded pork nachos (I’m still thinking about those…), and toasted to the new year with a little bubbly, of course, and some cheesecake. After our movie, and finished folding the mountain of laundry that had been neglected for the last week, I was off to bed. At about 9:30. Call me a party pooper if you want, but I call me practical. There was really no point in staying up past midnight, just to be grumpy when the kids woke me up at 6 am. Someday, when the kids are old enough to enjoy it with us, we’ll all stay up late, watch the ball drop, and band pots and pans at midnight like I used to.

I continued my family tradition to have the New Year Baby fill the kids’ shoes after they went to bed. I always loved this growing up. It’s softens the blow of the holidays being over a little bit. We don’t give them much, just some little toys. My parents always did something like a fun drink, candy, and a trinket of some kind. The babies love Penny’s mini massager so I got them each their own (which Ruby calls “new toy” since I told them there were new toys in their shoes). They like to turn them all on and watch them rattle and make noise on the hardwood floor. I hid them when they weren’t looking to get a break from the noise. We’ll have to only get those out when the downstairs neighbors aren’t asleep! They also got their little yearly calendar notebooks that KC’s mom picked up for me. Every year I get new ones and take notes in them as they hit milestones or say funny things, so I thought I’d throw those in, even though they’re mostly for me. But the kids “read” them as if they were enjoyable books. So easy to please (sometimes). Also, those tub crayons have been a big hit!

We had a delicious hootenanny (aka German pancakes) breakfast, with pumpkin spice hot chocolate (which the kids mostly enjoyed because of the whipped cream on top), which made us all have a happy start to the day. I can never settle on just one topping choice. Then is was off to church as usual. The kids were little angels in the meeting. It might have helped that I had some new quiet toys to keep them busy, and the strawberry Frosted Mini Wheats, that we had to vacuum afterward. Oops. We finished off the night we a delicious grilled pork tenderloin dinner, and went to bed happy to start a new year.

The fun continued on Monday with KC home from work. We thought it would be fun to take the kids out to eat. I don’t believe we have ever done this with just our little family, now that I think about it. The experience couldn’t have been better. There was no wait, there was room to bring the stroller all the way to our table (always a bonus with less adults than toddlers) the kids colored happily on their place mats, ate everything on their plates, and hardly needed any parental intervening. It opened my eyes to the possibilities that this year will bring as they get older. Of course, when I had ample time to get some good shots of the well-behaving children, I didn’t have my camera on me. But my mind has stored the images of this big milestone for us, so that’s enough for me.

So, that about wraps up all the holiday fun. It was low key, but just right for us at this point on our lives. I will miss being excited for the mail to come to see who’s Christmas cards came, and hearing Ruby singing jingle Bells as my ring tone, but over all, I’m relieved that the holidays are over. I like the feeling of starting fresh with a clean house, and a clear mind full of goals. Though, I never really set actual, formal, resolutions, I do always feel like I have a clean slate and I feel all kinds of motivation to get started with the new year on the right foot. 2012 is gonna be good, I can feel it! Happy New Year!

A Simple Christmas Weekend

2012-01-01T22:30:00.001-05:00

We had a more intimate holiday this year, involving mostly just our little family. It was business as usual for the kids, making messes, fighting, laughing, crying, cuddling, waking up too early, etc. But it was a blast celebrating Christmas together. It was definitely different and more exciting this year, with them being a year older and all, and I can see how that pattern is sure to continue as the years go on. Let’s start on Friday, Christmas Eve Eve.

It was so wonderfully great to have KC home so many days in a row. After a lazy morning together, we decided to take the kids to the National Harbor in the afternoon. We knew they would love all the decorations, even if it wasn’t dark enough to show off all the lights. It was a beautiful, but cold day. The kids loved everything from the huge Christmas tree and street décor, to the glass elevator in the Gaylord Hotel.

On Christmas Eve, we had plans to spend the afternoon with some friends at their house. The kids enjoyed cookies, and making a messes with all the unfamiliar toys, not to mention, their favorite Frosty the Snowman playing in the background. We were also treated with some seriously good mud pie, all thanks to the hosts. Of course I was too busy keeping the kids from destroying the place to take any fun pictures.

We got home, opened our traditional pjs, courtesy of my parents (the men got a silly leopard print, memory foam bath mat in lieu of pjs, sort of as a joke, but the kids couldn’t get enough of it). I tried to do a short version of the nativity story with the Little People. Maybe the kids understood a little bit even if they weren’t paying much attention. At least I tried. They know who Baby Jesus is, so I’m happy about that. I witnessed a true Christmas miracle when all the kids willingly piled on KC’s lap as he read the entirety of The Night Before Christmas. There was no fighting over who could hold it, no squirming off his lap to do other things midway through, just sweet faces intently listening to the story, only breaking their attention to yawn. We have read this before, and this wasn’t the scenario, hence my amazement. After I snapped some pictures, I joined them on the couch. A true gift seeing my family all snuggled together. We listened to our Christmas lullabies, and put them to bed, whispering to them that Santa was going to come if they went to bed promptly and nicely, and that they did.

We got to work on the fondue, and had a nice little dinner, just the two of us, Festive Nog and all. The Swiss-Gruyere fondue was new for us, and definitely tasty. Probably a little to rich for me actually. Maybe it’s better that way, so you don’t eat too much. The toasted bread/ham/cheese combo is definitely my favorite.

Then the Santa-prep began. We are starting to see what being a parent at Christmas really means. KC was working on their kitchen for quite a while. I excitedly set up the scene that the babies would wake up to, and then laid next to hard working KC on the floor while we watched our movie choice for the night, Lovely Still (one of the more mellow Christmas movies, but definitely one to put on your queue.) We chose to not put out a few things we got for the babies, thinking there was enough out already. I’ll save those for a day when I really need some reinforcements (which has already happened), or for their birthday in September if we can wait that long. I also put out the cart they got last year, since it’s been put away for a while, and I needed a third push toys to go with the stroller and wagon we got. They didn’t seem to care or notice.

The morning was priceless. Their little eyes lit up at the sight of all the new toys. Ruby couldn’t stop talking about her little bear, that she got the night before with her pjs (I stole it back when she was asleep to use a s a stocking stuffer). There was a variety of exclamations as they discovered everything. “Wow!”, “Oh Cuuuuute!”, “Choo-choo Twain!” and things like that. It was scene every parent pictures when they think about Christmas morning. It wasn’t without it’s fights and tantrums, but that was to be expected. The kids did do pretty well as far as sharing everything. We just turned on It’s a Wonderful Life, and enjoyed the morning.

As the mom, I feel somewhat like Mr. Bean on the Christmas episode when he mails himself Christmas cards and then acts all excited when it looks like he has new mail when he walks in. I set our gifts out anyway, and pretended to be excited and surprised when I saw them again in the morning, cause really I was excited. I have been patiently waiting to open my new Sonicare toothbrush among my the other gifts. We could’ve been party-poopers and opened them early, but them what would we have to look forward too? Among what we put out, KC gave me an early Christmas present, when I found an Roku installed on the tv before he left on his trip to Hawaii. We have used that thing silly. Now, when they kids are old enough to be trusted with a new tv to use it with, we’ll work on that.

We had our traditional pull-a-parts, and strata breakfast, and it was delicious, though I couldn’t eat much due to being still full from fondue. The the smells and tastes were just so Christmas to me. The kids were thrilled to drink orange juice from their new Frosty cups.

Then is was off to church at 10, which was sweet and lovely. A little program was narrated by a kind man in our ward who used to be a preacher, and you’d definitely know it if heard him speak with such feeling and enthusiasm. Everyone just looked so bright and cheerful. We got home, put the kids down for naps, and proceeded to open our own gifts. It’s nice to do this together, without being interrupted by the littles. When they woke up, they unwrapped more presents (they were too busy playing with their toys to do this before church), then the Christmas/Sunday laze-fest began. The kids played their little hearts out while we laid around, intervening when necessary. Oh, and I prepared our ham, potato, frozen fruit salad, and rolls dinner. Oh, and there was no way to get a group pic of the kids all dressed up for church. Believe me, I tried, but it was impossible. Maybe next year.

I loved our tiny family Christmas, with no expectations, and no schedule. Just all of us having fun together, taking in the wonderful feelings of the day. We missed our families terribly, but we did have a few webcam sessions with both sides, which helped us from feeling too homesick. It was definitely a memorable Christmas.

P.S. As much as I love Christmas time and all the decorations, I’m always so anxious to put everything Christmasy away within a day or two after it’s over. Including music and movies. It’s so refreshing to me to just clean up and move on. But I am grateful that there are some Christmas lights and decorations still up in the neighborhood. The kids still can’t wait to see them every time we leave the house.

Merry Christmas 2011!

2011-12-20T19:58:00.005-05:00

It’s time for our Christmas card recap of the year! We didn’t leave a note on our Christmas card directing recipients to the blog this year, but just in case you came for our yearly update anyway, here it is!

It’s been another great year for the Robinson fam, full of all the ups and downs you can expect with three two-year-olds! The triplets, though keeping us extremely busy, have been so very delightful as well. This has been a big year for them! Their speech has really taken off, and they love to sing songs, and sometimes even on key. Right now they are constantly singing Christmas songs like Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, but they also love Old McDonald, the Alphabet song, anything on Signing Time, and The Numbers Rumba to name just a few. When they want to, they play together extremely well, and make each other laugh hysterically. But they also know how to push each other’s buttons, and mine! We’re working on it. Mostly, they are a cheerful, hilarious bunch. There’s never a dull moment around here.

We did a little traveling this year. We were thrilled to go on a Cruise with KC’s family in June. WITHOUT THE KIDS! It was a big step for me, to actually leave all my responsibilities in the hands of someone else. It was so hard to say goodbye to the little ones, but it was so worth it! My parents were so very kind to take on the task of babysitting, for which I am so grateful. KC’s parents were also amazing to take us all on the heavenly vacation. It was crazy to have zero baby responsibilities for four whole days. I‘m ready for another vacation any time!

We also were so happy to be able to attend KC’s sister’s wedding in September! And thanks to her for making it right before the kids' birthday, we were able to get away with only buying three tickets instead of five! KC’s dad helped us with the flights, which was incredibly helpful. We loved seeing everyone in Utah. We stayed at my twin sister Melody’s house, and played with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents non-stop. And the wedding was gorgeous. Such a fun trip.

We had other numerous visits from family, which we always welcome. The kids are always excited to show off to new people, and I always love having others to help me keep them entertained!

We love having the Ribeiras live in the apartment downstairs. Cousin Penny just adds to the baby fun. And I’m so happy to have my sister to here to talk to, cook with, shop with, and all the other sisterly things we do together.

KC continues to work at the same firm as a Civil Engineer. He recently worked on a major project that took him to Hawaii. I was insanely jealous, but more than that, I was grateful to see him enjoy his work, and be given these great opportunities. He also got to spend some time with his sister Camille, who lives there. He is naturally a great father, and a very helpful husband, which he proves every day as he cleans up the toys, and shows never-ending patience with me. And that’s saying something!

I have been keeping busy with the triplets, and the occasional me-time, when I go running, shopping, watch Law and Order, or most importantly, sleep. Mmmm, I love sleep. I continue to LOVE my job as a mother to my sweet babies (yes, I know they are toddlers, just humor me), and although sometimes this job seems impossible, there is nothing else in the entire world I’d rather do.

We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary in March, and couldn’t be happier with where those 5 years have taken us. Not in distance, since we’re still living in the same house we moved into when we got married, but with how our family, and love has grown. We’re very excited to see what adventures our many more years together will bring us.

So that is our short and sweet recap. I’m grateful for this Christmas season, as it is a great time to reflect on what I try to keep in my heart throughout the year. That Christ was born to save us all. And that he loves and forgives me every day. We hope all of our friends, family, and any strangers that may stumble across this blog, also feel the love of Christ in their lives. Have a very merry Christmas, and the happiest New Year!

Twas the week before Christmas…

2011-12-19T10:19:00.006-05:00

I thought it was time for a Random Christmastime sampling of what’s been going on around here. I found that our events can be divided roughly into a few categories:

Lights

After dinner last night, we put all the kids in their pajamas, and headed for the Watkins Park Festival of Lights. I was impressed by the number of light displays they had up. It was a nice leisurely drive, through the park, and the kids were more than excited to point out everything they saw. See here, how they demonstrate this, just on the way out of our little neighborhood.

So you can imagine how excited they were with endless colorful lights to gaze upon. When Bennett saw the candy canes, he just exclaimed “J! J!”. Ruby Broke out into a rousing singing of “Fwosty the SnowMAN!” every time we passed a snowman, and Alex love the gingerbread men, which he pronounces “Giberbed”. They will be sad when all the Christmas decorations are taken down.

The Washington DC temple lights are always on our list of outings. Thanks for poking your head in the picture, Ruby.It was getting late, and when this starts to happen, you know you’ve hit your limit.

We kept the kids up especially late one night (two hours, which never, ever happens) to let them see our neighborhood tree lighting. I wouldn’t say it was worth it. Ruby was not happy, they took forever to turn the lights on, and we were nowhere near it when all it finally lit up. Oh well, I might have regretted it if we hadn’t even tried. And they did like the lights when they got up close.

One Saturday we took the kids to the mall. They couldn’t get enough of the great decorations, of course, but it was also a fun surprise that they had snow coming from the sky (a bubble machine) as we passed the food court.

Parties

We were happy to attend another NICU Christmas party. Ruby insisted on climbing on the tables to collect all the decorative foam snowflakes. It was great to catch up with some of the nurses there. We went at the very beginning though, so were didn’t stay long enough to see any of our friends. Maybe next year. They gave each child a small gift that included a little snowman. Ruby has adopted all three of them as her own. She seems to be most enthusiastic about all things Christmas.

Our ward had a Christmas breakfast. The kids and youth got to wear pajamas. Since we never actually get to eat at gatherings where food is involved because we’re always chasing children, and keeping them away from the food table, we decided to just bring their boosters. It worked! We all ate at the table together! It was still a bit chaotic, but an improvement! Before long though, the kids wanted to get down and play. We spent some time in the nursery, but eventually made it back to the party for music, a nativity film, stories, and having fun playing on the table storage racks. We were sad to miss the Primary nativity while walking the halls, but we made sure to not miss Santa! I have been dying to see how the kids would react to meeting him. They are more than happy to point him out on every movie, sticker, or even ornaments at the store, but in person, they were terrified of him. The official picture hasn’t been sent to us yet, but my sweet friend got one on her phone and sent it to me. You get the idea. I got a shot of Ruby, who wouldn’t even look up, she was so uneasy. It’s all part of the fun, right?

Dates

We have been able to squeeze in a few date nights here and there. I had heard that the Nation Harbor was a great place to be during the holidays, so we got a babysitter, and Elise, Jeff, KC and I made a night of it. We got there just in time to see the fireworks.

The Peeps store was incredibly crowded, but I am told you get a free piece of candy if you brave the crowds (which I did not).

The real attraction there was the Gaylord Hotel. The lights and decorations were really amazing. We were going to go ice skating, but decided it would be more fun on the National Mall, where we usually go.

Instead we went to Nando’s Peri-Peri and got a sampling of appetizers, desserts, and hot chocolate.

And we were nerds posing in front of the heart statue.

KC and I had Groupons for the International Spy museum, and the hours were annoying, like they closed at 6 pm. So we had to go on a Saturday, and Elise was more than kind to babysit for us. The kids were napping most of the time, so that’s good. The museum was fascinating, and so interactive. A great stop for anyone in the area. Across the street there was a holiday market, so I took a stroll to see what the haps were. There was nothing I was interested in buying, but festive all the same.

We were going to go to KC’s work party last weekend, but didn’t RSVP in time. But since we had a babysitter lined up, we were decided to have a night on the town anyway. We had planned to go ice skating, and scored a great parking stop on the street just a couple blocks away. But the line was insanely long, and we missed the first session. We weren’t about to wait another two hours, so we enjoyed the walk back to the car, passing the National Archives, quickly perused H&M, and then ended up at Target to buy our secret stocking stuffers for each other. I was disappointed our plans didn’t work out at first, but was happy to be out with KC anyway.

Baby Cuteness, Etc.

First of all, I finally got my ever-loving Jury Duty taken care of. After dropping Elise and fam off at the airport at 6 AM last Wednesday, I headed to fulfill my civic duty. The drive there was annoying. My GPS was acting up (resulting in some cosmetic damage due to my frustration—oops) , but I got there with time to spare. And except me thinking my color card was blue, instead of purple, and them having to call my number a million times before I realized it, all went well. I was in a group that was being chosen for a criminal trial, and when they asked all the questions to determine who would be on the jury, they asked if there was anyone who wouldn’t be able to continue if the case lasted more than a day. I stood right up and told them it was hard to find trained childcare for my two-year-old triplets. Thus, I didn’t end up on the jury and was home by noon! It was a neat experience though, and the people in charge were very kind, and happy. They tried to lighten the mood by telling jokes, and we waited in quite a nice lounge, making it not so bad for the hundreds of us that obviously had other places to be. There was even free wifi that I didn’t even have time to use. I'm glad I’m off the hook for at least another three years!

So onto other randomness. Ruby loves putting stockings on her feet.

They were so excited about these silly mittens I got them.

Alex and Ruby insist on wearing shoes all the time.

Alex usually looks like this, since he can’t seem to keep his clothes on (so now we have two kids in backwards pjs, and soon to be three, since Bennett has shown signs of taking his off as well.)

And we also have two kids with diapers taped on since Alex can’t seem to keep that on either. Ugh.

Ruby’s footwear isn’t limited to stockings, or shoes over her jammies though. Puppets are also commonly found on her feet.

I found Bennett “reading” a Christmas piano book the other day. He just read aloud the numbers on every page.

One of the many places I’ve found the Little People nativity pieces.

They kids take their nap around noon, and have a quiet time in the late afternoon when they listen to music and read books in their cribs. It used to be pretty quiet, and I’d just here them singing along quietly to the songs, but now this is what happens during “quiet time”. (And sometimes during the first hour of nap time, and very rarely around 3:30 AM--ahem, this morning). Oh, these kids are a bundle of fun these days.

So that’s the latest. I wanted to get all that down before the real fun begins. Less than a week! I’m not ready to say goodbye to the season yet. And we haven’t even watched our best Christmas movies yet (probably because I keep watching those silly Lifetime, or ABC Family movies. Don’t judge, you know you love them too). It’s time to cram! We’ll see how much of White Christmas the kids let me get through before they start begging to watch Santa Claus is Coming to Town. . . again.

The Grand Opening!

2011-12-15T11:50:00.001-05:00

The day has finally arrived. After many postponed dates, our new Aldi has opened its doors! And you better believe I was there bright as early this morning for the ribbon cutting ceremony. There was a small crowd, including some area officials, customers, and news crews. Our mayor, who was handing out quarters to use in the new carts (Aldi carts are dispensed with quarters which you get back when you replace it after shopping). We were disappointed to not have our shopping buddies, Elise and Penny, with us. They are off in California for Christmas. We definitely have many trips together planned in the future.

I was amazed at how big and beautiful the store was. Such a change from the dingy, smelly place that was there before. Everyone was just so happy to be shopping there. Seriously, a two-minute drive for us. And just in time for Christmas. I can always count on a couple last minute store runs when preparing big meals.

The stroller drew a lot of attention as usual, and the kids were little gems as we perused the new aisles with all the excited customers. They just munched on their popcorn as we picked up a few things, and just really learned the layout of the new space. There were a lot of manager type people there helps everyone get what they need. The entire staff was very excited and friendly, and even handed out bags of samples as we left the store. Everyone just seemed to be in a cheerful, festive mood. It made for a great little outing this morning.

It’s one thing when you have a grocery store down the street, but when you have one of your favorite places to shop so close to home, it really makes errands seems so much more enjoyable and productive. I may be acting a little bit too excited about a simple grocery store, but seriously, grocery shopping is my life. I’m sure most of you moms would agree. And I love doing it. I love thinking of new things to make for my family, and it doesn’t hurt that the prices here are awesome. Ah, the simple pleasures of being a stay-at-home mom.

Another year, another Christmas party!

2011-12-12T22:13:00.001-05:00

After some thought, Elise and decided we were in the mood to co-host another Christmas party. I’m not the type that wants to dibs this event every year, but being afraid that the season would come and go without a rousing gathering of friends, we just went for it again, and we are so glad we did. The theme this year: “Ugly Sweater Mocktail Party”! We loved the contrast between the silly attire, and sophisticated food and drinks. We Provided a non-drinker-friendly bar, including Pina Coladas, Grape-Appletinis, and Pomegranate Mojitos. Elise made some adorable instruction signs above the bar so people could mix their own throughout the night. She also made some cute little name tags that people tied on their glasses in case they mixed theirs with someone else's. We also had a selections of slightly less sophisticated drinks, like, Ginger ale punch, Festive Nog (Egg Nog mixed with Sprite), Sparkling Cider, and even a keg of Root Beer. We also provided, and asked others to bring, some appetizers. I made herbed goat cheese balls, and lemon-raspberry crumb bars, as well as some quick mini quiches, just in case. The tables just kept filling up with the most wonderful foods as people arrived. It was quite a feast of appetizers and desserts! They were so good, in fact, that I had to change from my tights and tight-waisted skirt to more confortable jeans half way through the party. One perk of being the host, I guess.

We had some spectacularly ugly sweaters show up. We also had some great-looking, normal outfits in the bunch, so hopefully no one mixed up people’s intentions for their attire. KC and I got into full character, complete with red sparkly tights, and socks with sandals. (And I should note that when the kids saw us in our sweaters they were completely in awe and couldn’t stop exclaiming about everything they saw. Of course Ruby loved the tiny snowmen on my mock turtle neck.) There was a vote for the best (meaning, ugliest) sweater in the bunch, and Ryan won, hands down, with his green festive cardigan. (And we were informed that soon after leaving the party, he and his wife got pulled over, but got out of it for being festive, and having cookies to bribe the officer with. Nice.) Though, KC came in a close second (not that we would take the prize, had he won). He got a prize that included chocolate, Italian soda, and Elise threw in a free Christmas card design! I’m so glad people had fun with this. It was my first ugly sweater party, and I hope it’s not my last.

The White Elephant exchange was excellent, as always. It’s always a surprise what gets passed around. I was sure my high-heel shaped soap dispenser would be a dud, but I was wrong! Oh, I love a tacky gift exchange.

We had such a great turnout, and were so pleased to be with so many great people. It’s always inevitable that we’ll have fun with our friends. There’s never a shortage of great conversation, or laughs. We’ve been hear for almost six years, and over those years we have made some lasting friendships we hope to never lose touch with. This party was such a great way to get us all in one place. We definitely feel like a kind of family. (We took these after the first couple left. Sorry Wendy and Larry!)

When the last guests left a little after midnight, we had fun laughing about the night as we all cleaned anything that had to get done before we collapsed. The kids did pretty well. The boys were zonked through the entire thing, but Ruby heard us partying and needed a little cuddling a couple times during the night. It was fine with me though. I loved that dark, quiet time with my girl. We may have been tired the next day, and it may have taken a day or two to get my kitchen in order again, but I am so happy we made this party happen. I always need a fun gathering like this to bring the Christmas cheer to that next level, and this year did not disappoint!We might have had a little too much fun pretending to be drunk.

An even more toddler-friendly “Chismit tee”.

2011-12-06T13:51:00.001-05:00

Don’t anyone get excited, but I came out of my comfort zone again to do a project for the littles. I felt like a stranger in the fabric/craft store. But I managed to find the few things I needed for this simple task. And forest green sparkly felt, no less!. When I saw this on Pintrest (doesn’t it have Pintrest written all over it?), I knew the kids would love it, so I put in a few hours and it was done!

When they woke up to it in the morning, they fell instantly in love. Ruby, true to her hoarding ways, immediately gathered all the letters. We are really working on sharing lately. Now, every time they are arguing over toys, I hear a bunch of little voices saying, “I can share! I can share!”

Alex was confused which tree to put the ornaments on at first.

Bennett woke up a little later, so he had it to himself after the initial excitement had worn off, which I’m sure he liked.

We also realized we could use the finger puppet nativity on it as well.

I made only letter ornaments, though the tutorial has some other cute patterns. Maybe next year. These kids love anything that displays letters, so I thought that would make it most fun for them at this age. This is definitely the kind of thing I would’ve opted to buy rather than make myself in the past, but hey, being a mom of toddlers makes me open to trying things I normally wouldn’t. I think Christmas also has put me in the mood to be constructive. And I think we’ll enjoy this one for years to come. Thanks internet stranger!

It’s been fun finding Christmas themed activities for the kids, though anything too organized is still pretty moot. Even coloring gets a little hairy, with the eating of crayons, and begging for the whole box so no one else can color. But we have managed to find some fun things for them to do.

Any kind of sticker has been great lately. These jelly stickers, or window appliques are a favorite. I love driving up to see their arrangements on the front window. I love that there are kids living in my house.

I splurged on this Little People Nativity set. Ruby has been obsessed with it ever since. She loves the animals the best, of course. She is often found trying to carry them all at once for long periods of time as she wanders the house. She also thinks any of the people are called “Baby Desus”. I’m a little nervous about losing pieces, so I try to take inventory at the end of the day. Sometimes I look for them with Ruby, and she’ll go around the house saying “where’s camel"? over and over and over until we find him. She also likes to put any piece, not just the angel, on top. The boys look at it now and then, but mostly it’s Ruby’s territory. Heaven forbid anyone else even touches ONE of the 20 pieces. That girl.

I don’t know what these kids are going to do (or what I am going to do) when Christmas is over. Without Frosty, Christmas trees, lights, “Sant-i-caus”, nativities, and all their new favorite Christmas shows, they’ll be so depressed. We’ll try to enjoy everything to the max until then.

Boughs of Holly

2011-12-04T21:28:00.001-05:00

Our halls are decked! Well them main living area anyway. I had to make a few changes from what we’ve done with decorations in the past, with wild toddlers on my hands this year. I’m sure more changes will be made as they use their creative little minds to undo everything I’ve done, but we’ll figure that out as necessary. Luckily I never get into the decorating too much, so it’s not much to keep track of. Just enough to make it feel different and festive around here.

I thought it would be fun to display all of our past Christmas cards. The one with the babies all in a row would’ve been our picture that year, had I had any amount of time or energy to send them out.

And this is where I hope to put more Christmas cards as they arrive in the mail.

The Ribeiras are our first!

The stockings had to be moved from the mantle, of course, so these shelves really came in handy.

I love seeing those three stockings in a row.

To me, this candle is the smell of Christmas. Balsam Cedarwood from Target. Mmmm. I couldn’t resist is a few years ago when I smelled it at the store, and it’s lasted ever since. Now everything in the storage bins smell like it, but I don’t mind.

Because our tree is little, we thought we needed more Christmas lights to enjoy. We strung them around the perimeter of the living room, and I LOVE how cozy it feels when it’s dark outside.

We still aren’t brave enough to get a real tree with the kiddos, so we pulled out the trusty little guy we bought last year. We turned on Christmas in Connecticut (how had I not seen this before—I loved it!) as we were trimming. KC’s aunt has been so very kind to supply us with some awesome ornaments over the years. We had such a great time opening each one and seeing the details that Hallmark puts into each one. Some wind up and play music, some are battery operated and have sound effects, and many of them can be manipulated in one way or another. The textures, colors, and design of each one is so unique. I’m truly impressed by what I thought were just cute little ornaments. They are more like little works of art. And they are perfect for our child-themed tree this year. They especially love the Disney themed ones. I contemplated decorating it with all their toys, knowing full well that whatever is within reach is free-game (and even what isn’t within reach these days). But I think they’ll really enjoy this little tree just for them. I just hope I don’t get sick of replacing the ornaments every night when they will inevitably be scattered all over the house. I’m sure the kids will thoroughly enjoy decorating their own little tree with these ornaments for years to come. So here it is, pretty sparse, but it’s meant to be that way, for my own sanity.

I was so looking forward to the babies’ reaction when they woke up to the decorations. Ruby was as excited as can be, and couldn’t wait to get her hands on it. She kept saying “so cute!” every time she looked at an ornament. But the boys were a different story. Every morning when we get them up, they come running into the living room, but that morning, the boys saw the lights from down the hall and went the other direction. I found them sitting at the end of the hall against the bathroom door. I think they were a little nervous. Bennett warmed up quickly. But Alex was cranky for longer that I was ready to deal with at that time of day. Finally, later on, he decided he wasn’t afraid of the tree after all and joined in the fun the others were having exploring. Oh, and yes, Ruby is wearing boy Pajamas, backwards. That’s what happens when all the girl pjs are dirty, and she know how to unzip them in the night. (And yeah, some pictures are blurry. I was playing around with the camera. Whatever.)

Now Ruby thinks all Christmas trees are for her to play with.

And thanks to Pintrest (of course), I found a way to spruce up my plain green tree skirt , into a more festive one. The directions used a glue gun, but I put my sewing machine to work on this project. It was sort of an experiment, since crafts aren’t my strongest suit, and it didn’t turn out exactly how I’d hoped, but it’s more fun than what it was before, so I’m happy. Maybe a couple times a year I can pretend I have a crafty side to me.

There you go, our simple Christmas décor. I love to look back on past Christmases to see how I decorated and remember the fun we had each year. What is it about all these fake pine needles, and tiny lights that fills me with such cozy happiness? KC and I eat dinner pretty much every night in the living room with just the twinkle lights on as we watch something Christmasy. Life is good.

A whole lot of hugging going on.

2011-12-02T08:30:00.001-05:00

This age is so great for so many reasons. One in particular, is that they are really starting to interact with each other. Like singing songs together, occasionally sharing toys, playing Ring Around the Rosie or London Bridge, feeding each other, and other things like that. They are also a very affectionate bunch and will almost always gladly give or accept hugs and kisses. Here they are in the tub. Their slippery bodies didn’t keep them from holding each other tight.

And here they are after dinner. When Alex wants a kiss, he gets a kiss.

Ruby was so upset when Bennett had had enough hugging, she threw a fit. But she cheered right up when he came back for more.

And of course Alex needed some lovin’ as well.

I don’t know what could warm a mother’s heart more than seeing her babies embrace so tight with such huge smiles on their faces. Well, I suppose if she were the recipient of the affection, that might take the cake. And fortunately for me, I do get to be included in this game now and then.

Trotting, Feasting, and Playing.

2011-12-01T11:52:00.002-05:00

It’s been quite a week over here. The fun began when KC’s parents came to town last Sunday. We invited them for Thanksgiving to make it more festive. And festive it was.

I was thrilled to be able to participate in a 5k downtown on Thanksgiving morning. Elise, Jeff, Penny, KC and I all took the quick ride on the Metro right to Pennsylvania Avenue where the race started. KC’s parents were wonderful to watch the kids while KC came to cheer me on! We met up with my friend Courtney, a much more experienced runner than myself, which made it all the more fun. And although some girls might be embarrassed to be wearing the same shirt, Courtney and I thought it was awesome. The morning was pretty cold, but it warmed up quickly. I’m sure all 7,500 runners were happy to see the clear skies after several days of rain we’d had. It was a most gorgeous day to be in the beautiful Washington DC. The course was lovely, crossing the national Mall right in front of the capital building. Between the beautiful architecture, and the people running in turkey costumes, there was plenty to keep me entertained while I ran. I could hardly pay attention to Ender’s Shadow playing on my Ipod. And thanks to the hill-less roads, I was able to improve my last 5k time by over two-and-a-half minutes! It really was the greatest way to start a Thanksgiving day. I hope I can always keep this tradition going.

Pre-race:

Mid-race:

Post-race:

We then got home and got to cooking. With three ladies willing to take part in the meal, and the guys manning the turkey frying station outside, we were able to get a nice spread on the table with minimal stress. We had a great selection of appetizers to hold everyone over. The babies woke up from their nap to the food on the table, and to my surprise, pretty much left it alone, except to grab a snack here and there. Such polite little ones. I thought the food would be on the floor within minutes, but I suppose they really are growing up. They loved Janice’s cheese spread and crackers. We kept them entertained the best we could until dinner with printable pictures to color.

By the time we all sat down for dinner though, the kids’ politeness they’d shown earlier, went out the window. They didn’t really want to try any food besides a few bites of some rolls (and Alex may have finished everyone’s sweet potatoes). So dinner, was a bit on the hectic side of things. But I think it added to the great memories we’ll carry from this time in our lives. There will be so many years of calm and quiet, more sophisticated meals, I like that we’ll have these experiences to look back on and laugh about, and probably miss desperately. We did enjoy our great selection of pies (banana cream-me, spiced pecan-Jeff, and pumpkin with a pecan crumbly topping-Janice) after the kids were asleep, which was lovely. All in all, it was a fun, filling day.

Elise and I had our calendars marked for some Black Friday shopping. We don’t participate in all the craziness, but wait until about 8 or 9 am. There was hardly ANYONE shopping at that time. Out of probably eight stores, I stood in one line that lasted only a few minutes. I had much too much success, and had a blast shopping with my little sis.

We have been enjoying our leftovers immensely. We tried something new, on Jeff’s suggestion, that I’d highly recommend: Thanksgiving leftover empanadas. So, so, so good. Try it.

The rest of the time KC’s parents were here, we fit quite a bit in, like Janice’s Birthday dinner (thanks again for the most delicious enchiladas Elise!), many visits to the park, eating too many treats at the Amish Market, playing in the leaves, canning some of Janice’s mom’s famous mustard relish, and just being entertained and exhausted by the kids every second they were awake.

KC had an opportunity to take a last minute trip to Hawaii on business. Believe me, I thought of every possible way I could go with him, but with Ruby getting over a cold, and the last minute flights being ridiculously expensive, it just wasn’t in the cards for me to go along. So Grandma and Grandpa kept us company while he was gone. He’s home now, so we’re officially back to real life. But that real life includes everything Christmas these days, which makes me one happy lady.

Learning the Christmas Vocabulary

2011-11-29T14:31:00.001-05:00

The triplets have really taken to all things Christmas lately. It’s music to my ears as I hear them say all these new words and phrases, and sing songs that they were too young to learn last Christmas. They love to point out any snowman they see. Earlier today we were shopping, and upon entering the store, Ruby gasped when she saw an inflatable snowman and yelled “Fwosty!” They are constantly pointing out our “sockings” , and have also learned who “Sandy Caus” is, though I don’t think they know quite what he does yet. It only took one time of singing through “The Twelve Days of Christmas” for them to join in on “five golden rings!” toward the end. And of course they love any Christmas tree the see. We’re putting ours up tonight (a small, toddler-friendly one this year), so I’m anxious to see how they like it when they see it first thing in the morning. We are also planning on keeping them up extra late to see witness our town Christmas tree lighting later this week. I think they’ll love it.

Anyway, my little chatterbox, Ruby, and I had a little bonding time talking about Christmas while the boys were taking an extra long nap.

Having these innocent, sweet toddlers makes Christmastime even more magical than it already is. Everything is so new and exciting to them, it has a way of rubbing off on me. And it’s only just begun!

P.S. They are learning a lot of about the true meaning of this holiday as well, but that is for another post.

Moses Basket

2011-11-16T17:47:00.001-05:00

When the babies came home from the hospital, we used a Moses basket my friend gave us to lay them in throughout the day. And at nights it was handy to have next to the couch so I could slide whoever I was holding into it when they finally fell asleep, and get a little sleep myself. It seems like a great place to place them for easy access, and so we wouldn’t accidentally sit on anyone snoozing on the couch (a legitimate concern when they were so small.) They looked so sweet in the little bed, either alone, or smooshed together. It didn’t phase me back them , how tiny they must’ve been to all three fit, even horizontally, in the basket meant for one child.

I was a little sad when we didn’t have a use for it anymore and put it away. It’s been under a crib storing blankets for about a year and a half. I was cleaning out there room a while, and I was thinking about giving it away when it dawned on me that the kids might like to play with it. Little did I know how right I was. They can’t get enough of the thing. Ruby is especially territorial. She drags is all over the house, and even puts her dolls and animals to bed in it. But they find ways to play with in together. I’m pretty sure Ruby is responsible for all the piling of toys. It doesn’t seem like the boys really mind getting buried though. She also buries herself from time to time. She puts all her blankets, etc. in it, and them wiggles under them.

And now that they are giant toddlers, only one of them can certainly fill the whole thing out, and then some. Although, they do try to all squeeze into it together once in a while.

What other non-toy items could my kids find this entertaining? I might not need to buy anything new for Christmas. I’ll just pull out some old car seats and changing pads.

Back to Fall

2011-11-13T16:24:00.001-05:00

I know, I was all hyped up about Christmas in the last post (and I still am) but I am truly enjoying every second of this perfect season we’re in before the cold hits. We have had the most ideal fall here. With the exception of a few rainy cold days, we’ve been graced with mid 60s sunny weather, which, when paired with vibrant colored leaves, is really remarkable. I mean, where else does a major highway look like this? (The picture doesn’t really do it justice.)

I’ve been outside as much as possible lately. Walking around the lake has been a favorite pastime, as usual. With the leaves at their peak, it’s even more gorgeous. We like to feed the geese and ducks while we mosey along the trail. The kids think it’s hilarious, and try to throw their cereal snacks far enough for the ducks to eat it, but in only ends up a few inches from the stroller.

Running has been one of my favorite parts of this fall. I can’t get out the door fast enough in the morning. And now that it’s not pitch dark at 6:15 AM anymore, it doesn’t feel quite as eerie as I wind through the streets. Though I usually don’t mind running in the dark at all. I like the feeling of solitude it brings. I’m really dreading the freezing weather, knowing it will be harder for me to make it out every morning, but I’ll try to make it work somehow.

Of course we make it to the park as much as possible. I think the kids crave the outdoors as much as I do lately. They beg to get out, and really light up when they’re playing in the fresh air. This winter is going to do a number on all of us.

So, I just wanted to give a little plug to our wonderful weather, and gorgeous surroundings. It might have sounded redundant, but this time of year makes me so giddy, I wanted to write about it some more. I think it’s time for another picture update before all the festivities begin. I’ll get working on that. . .

And so it begins.

2011-11-12T11:59:00.001-05:00

I’m feeling the Christmas spirit inside me already, and it’s here to stay. With decorations lining the streets, and music filling the air, why not embrace it?! I’ve penciled in Santa visits and Christmas Tree Lightings, and hope to fill my schedule even more as the season progresses. I can hardly stop myself from putting up the decorations already! (Don’t worry, I am not tossing Thanksgiving aside, but including it among the holiday festivities!) See Ruby feels it too as she checks out the Christmas ads.

We officially started our Christmas movie watching last night. The kids were in bed, we pushed play on Home Alone 2, and enjoyed a picnic on the living room floor, as we laughed at the predictable, ridiculous humor that that movie provides. It was so fun to tear off pieces of juicy rotisserie chicken with our fingers, and eat it with hot-out-of-the-oven rustic bread with any of the toppings I laid out, including goat cheese, avocados, basil pesto , apple jelly, and my grandma’s delicious tomato marmalade. Such a fun night with my man, and looking forward to many more like it as we make the most of this magical time of year.

Make it work.

2011-11-08T12:05:00.001-05:00

When Elise found out that the one and only Tim Gunn was going to be at Annapolis Mall, we marked our calendars. Lucky Brand was putting on a fashion show, and he was the host. With that being our favorite local mall, and always feeling up for a kid-less shopping trip, we thought, “Why not”.

Last Saturday, we arrived at the mall a few minutes before the fashion show was scheduled to begin, and could barely stay together as we pushed through the hoards of people. It was mostly under control with the exception of people occasionally picking fights with security guards, and I nearly had an anxiety attack when I saw people trying to push double strollers through the wall of people. But soon, Mr. Gunn made his appearance, and the crowd went wild. We stayed for about two minutes of the show, and decided we’d seen all we cared to see.

After some shopping, we came back to see what the haps were. If you spent $100.00 on Lucky merchandise (so, one pair of jeans), you were eligible to have a signed copy of his book, and a picture taken with him. As much fun as it would be to see what he had to say in our 15 seconds together, the 200-person line was not enticing in the least. We left feeling like we got exactly what we came for (after stopping at the Clinique counter). It was the little bit of entertainment I needed that weekend. I guess I’m not really a super-fan type person, no matter who it is. I was more than happy to get out of there and go see the people I really care about. I’m pretty sure I’m their biggest fan out there. And I get to see then anytime I want, without standing in a ridiculous line.

“Mo Canny, Mo Canny!”

2011-11-02T20:12:00.001-04:00

Halloween seemed to go on for days this year. I think we were costumed out by Monday. But it was a great weekend all the same.

A couple weeks ago, we kicked off the season with a most delicious pumpkin soup. Thanks Alton, for the great, festive recipe. I’m definitely a fan.

So, Elise and I were put in charge of the ward Halloween Party/Chili cook-off. I wasn’t super enthusiastic about this assignment, since, you know, I have triplets that make being in charge of anything difficult when they are awake. We decided to keep it pretty low key, which is my attitude for this holiday in general, so I hope no one minded. KC was kind enough to come home a couple hours early on Friday so Elise and I could set up. He took full baby duty to get them there, manage them at the church, and get them home and into bed by himself (past their bedtime, adding another element of craziness). The night was a success, with more than enough chili and pie to go around, and great costumes to be seen. As per tradition, each group in the church put together a booth for everyone to enjoy. We had cookie decorating, fishing, a piñata, doughnuts on a string, face painting and even a treasure hunt. There definitely wasn’t a shortage of activities. I had a couple (seriously,just a couple) seconds to take Ruby and Alex (Bennett was content to stay in the nursery and play with toys) around the church to quickly go trick-or-treating. Alex realized what was going on, and wouldn’t stop saying “Mo Canny! Mo Canny!” We have a little bit to learn about manners, it seems. We didn’t get many pictures, and it wasn’t what I had envisioned my babies’ first trick-or-treating experience to be. I was really looking forward to showing them the joy of Halloween, and seeing their faces light up as they discovered what happens when you say the magic words “Trick-or-Treat!” and I thought the church was a great place to give it a try, since they’d be contained and safe without needing to be strapped in the stroller, but, I was setting out pies, and making sure everything was going according to schedule, so what’s done is done. The looked adorable in their “costumes” (I know, I’m not the most festive mom on the block, but the babies loved their hats, so we were all happy), and I was happy to have that party behind me. There were so many kind helpers that stayed to clean up, and Elise and I were home before 10. Lovely. Oh, and I tried to scrounge up a last second costume that wouldn’t drive me crazy while preparing food and running around. So half-hearted Superman it was. Thanks to KC’s mom for recently giving us KC’s childhood cape. I’m sure it will come in handy for future Halloweens.

On Saturday, we went trick-or-treating at Wegmans. It was a little crazy, but while the kids got candy, we sampled delicious food. Win, win. Oh, and it snowed that day. The kids thought it was great.

And just because it was part of the weekend, I’ll add that we all made it to Stake Conference, where we spent most of the time in the nursery, but later that evening enjoyed leftover ward party pie with some friends. The perk of being the party planners.

So, by the time Halloween rolled around, I was feeling like all was already said and done. The kids hardly understood what was going on anyway, so I wondered if I should even do anything different. I thought it would be fun to go to the little pumpkin patch at Watkins Park, but after loading everyone up, and strolling down the path, we saw that it was closed on Mondays. Perfect. Here I am wracking my brain for something festive to do with two-year-olds, and I get shut down. Luckily there is an awesome part there too, and lately I’ve been feeling more and more confident to let them play on their own at the play ground. I still run around the whole time in case people are about to fall off a ledge, but they seem to do really well for the most part. I appreciate a fenced in park when possible, but this park is so big and open, that they could really run free without me feeling like they were in danger of cars, etc. Not to mention we had the place to ourselves. This is a big development in my life a mommy. A great Halloween morning.

As soon as they ate their dinner, and I took off their clothes, I knew I had made my decision that trick-or-treating was out. We were all tired, and the thought of getting everyone ready, listening to whining because they’d want to get out of the stroller (cause I really couldn’t see us letting them run around in the streets after dark-ha!) and going to bed an hour or more late again didn’t seem worth it to me just to have a bunch of candy lying around. Plus they would just want to eat all of candy right then. Not a great thing to add to the bedtime routine. So next year, I’m sure we won’t be so lazy, and the kids will truly enjoy what this holiday has to offer.

We went downstairs later and ate homemade pizza, and apples dipped in caramel. We looked through our scary movie options, and I was so disappointed in myself to not watching any of my faves this year. Not ONE Alfred Hitchcock, not ONE! I’ll have to remember to start watching early next year. Luckily I read Frankenstein for my book group. That definitely set the tone. And it was even spookier that I listened to it as I ran in dark each morning.

So it was a bit of an anticlimactic Halloween, but still fun to hear my little ones say their first “Trick-or-Treat!” It’s always nice to get it out of the way and start prepping for the wondrous holiday season. I’m more than excited for that, so let’s start haulin’ out the holly!

Alex the “Panna”Bennett the “Koowawa”Ruby the “Owloo”

(They were less than enthusiastic about pictures that day, but we are happy to have any group picture lately, so I consider this a success. )

Obviously, the Jury Commissioner is not a mother of triplets.

2011-11-01T11:49:00.001-04:00

It finally came. My first letter instructing me to report for jury duty. I’ve always wondered when this day would come, and was always grateful that it hadn’t yet (I get the same feeling of fear and relief every time I think about having to get my wisdom teeth taken out). If only they had written me a few years ago, things would be different. But seriously, it’s a bit tricky for me to take an entire day off of mommy duties without trained childcare that I’d be worried about the entire time, or KC taking off work. (And really, if I get to take an entire day off, is jury duty really what I’d choose to do with those precious hours?) Elise is even going to be leaving town that day, so I was really wracking my brain to see if this was really a possibility. I decided to check the little box on the back of the form, stating that I would not be able to report due to the inconvenience it would be to my family and included a letter stating my circumstances in a very professional manner. I even said that I look forward to serving at another time when my schedule permits.

Apparently that didn’t cut it, since I got another letter yesterday stating that my request has been denied. I could write more letters, and keep fighting it, but I think that would make it more trouble than it’s worth.I know it’s important, and I’m happy to serve, and I suppose it’s just one day, but a lot happens in one day with two year old triplets, so my mind gets a little crazy thinking about all that will/can happen while I’m not around. I mean, I pack an entire backpack just to go to Target! I know it’s not that big of a deal, and everyone that is asked to report has a lot on their plate, so I’m sure they just laughed at my request, but it was worth a shot. KC said he could take off a day of work, so I’m sure it will all work out just fine (but again those precious personal days are really something we like to save up for more family-oriented occasions). And hey, maybe I’ll call that morning, and be told I don’t need to report after all. I just think if the person(s) calling the shots here was a mother of triplets, or even a few very young children, she might have a little more sympathy for little old me. I can only hope that the case is good enough to make it worth my while.

Anyone have any good wrinkle cream recommendations?

2011-10-20T20:23:00.002-04:00

I might have gotten a little bit mad at KC the other night, when he reminded me that I was going to turn 27 the next day. I think I didn’t let myself remember on purpose. I mean, I wasn’t trying to block it out, but I get so tired of getting older, that maybe I subconsciously let myself forget. But if becoming one year older means having the great year that I’ve had, I guess it’s worth it.

My birthday was yesterday, and it was a great one. It was just what I needed. The babies slept in, I got to do some Pilates (the dark, windy, rainy morning not so inviting as I was preparing to go running), and we all enjoyed some birthday cereal together, which Alex now calls “Ceeoeeoeeoeeo.”I love it.

Elise and I made the day festive by taking the kids on a jaunt to Columbia, where we perused a fun book store, and went to the Mall. The play place there was a great one for the kids. The girls were angels, playing so nicely, Bennett, liked to play a game where he’d almost run out until I told him to come back, and then he would come happily running back. But Alex was a funny one. He’s been clingy in public lately, and right when we got there, he wouldn’t let go of my legs. Eventually he played around, only to come back to me a little while later, and buried his head in my chest for the remainder of our play time. When I’d lift him up, he’d keep his eyes closed, smile, and shove his head right back down. I gotta say, I loved those snuggles from my baby boy. After we left, we broke out some snacks (popcorn and apples were our shopping snacks of choice, and they worked like a charm), that allowed us to have a good time leisurely shopping around.

After what felt like a quick, and mostly cheerful afternoon (which was mostly surprising because the previous day had a MUCH different story. . .) KC, came home, I opened some gifts, and once the babies were down, he and I went out to a place in D.C. that has been on our list for a while, 2 Amys. It was a thoroughly delightful evening, complete with across the street, free parking, hardly any wait to be seated, and very delicious food. Not to mention I got some much needed quality time with my husband, who I love so much. And we were home before nine, which to me is a treat. You know me and my love of an early turn-in. I didn’t get a nap that day, so my warm bed was calling to me. It was a perfect, low-key, happy day to have a birthday. And it was incredibly sweet to hear my babies tell me happy birthday for the first time. It sounded a little bit like “Hap-ber Mommy!” I’ll take it.

I was able to chat with Melody a bit, as we do like to celebrate together as best as we can, being so far apart. We talked about how our respective families celebrated with us, and wished each other a happy day. I also got the babies to say “Hap-Ber Didi!” We did a little bit of celebrating when were together a couple months ago, so at least we had that. Hopefully next year we can actually be together on the real day for a change. One of there years we’ll get it right.

It’s weird, I just don’t feel like I’m past 23 yet. Where did the years go? I am now the age that KC was when I met him, and I felt like he was sooooo old. Mind you, I was only 19, but still. . . I do love being this age for a lot of reasons. I feel like, though I still have a lot of learning ahead of me, I have grown immensely from my early 20s (I’m so sorry for anyone who had to put up with my younger naïve self. I hope I’m not the only one who wonders “What was I thinking"?!”). And I am now old enough that people don’t look shocked and surprised when I tell them I have three kids. Well surprised still (we are in the East Coast, remember), but not so shocked, which is nice. I know I’m being dramatic when I say I feel old, but doesn’t everyone go through this when they hit a certain age? I’ll get over it. I am still in my 20s, and I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts.

I CAN!

2011-10-13T22:07:00.002-04:00

(Pronounced with the same surprise, shock, and amazement as Bob Wiley when he said “I SAIL!” on What About Bob.)

Canning is something I’ve always been intimidated by. I knew it was a little investment, and always thought there was a lot of preparation and learning involved. I’ve done my fair share of freezer jam, but never felt like that was truly canning. It seemed a bit too crafty for someone (me) who claims to be the least crafty of them all, so I leaned away from it. But I became curious this year, and got the itch to give it a try. I shopped around for the gear, made some calls to my canning-expert sister Amber, and gave it a go. And guess what? I’m hooked! Maybe it’s because I’m looking for more productive things I can do from home, or maybe it’s because I needed a small challenge, I’m not sure. But I do know that my list of things to can keeps getting longer. The babies have been so kind to play so nicely while I hang out in the kitchen during the day, but a lot of times, I wait until the evening, so I can fully immerse myself (no pun intended) in the process, and even listen to a good book while chopping and pealing dozens of apples at a time. I can’t wait until I have a garden so I can really put all my new equipment and newly acquired know-how to use. Although, gardening is another one of those things I’m scared of, so it will have to wait until I’m in the mood for another challenge. Who knows when that will be.

I find myself filling with pride as I look at the small stock of food I’ve added to our storage. The process is an art to me. It’s so fun to play with new toys. . .um, I mean tools, and dusting off old ones. I love that it gets me in the kitchen, elbow deep in colorful, delicious food. Much better on the waistline than baking breads and pastries everyday like I would otherwise want to do to fill this need for creating, and just enjoying myself in my true element. The past few days, the smell of my kitchen has been in a constant state of spiced apple, and those fresh apples from the farm have quite the fragrance, let me tell you!

I hope to keep it up throughout the year as things come in season. Here is what I’ve accomplished so far:

I even enjoyed this on top of my pumpkin ice cream last night.

The Lemon Curd is frozen rather than processed. I wanted to use fresh lemon juice, and freezing is the safest way to preserve it. It just sounded like a fun addition.

Made with the apple peelings and cores!

I know my stock isn’t very well rounded, but time will bring more colors and flavors to my food storage, I’m sure. It’s been so fun ringing in the fall with this festive new hobby of mine.

And again, they leave us.

2011-10-12T12:44:00.002-04:00

My parents have come and gone, and we were sad to see them go. Their time here was jam-packed with fun though. We always try to use our higher adult-to-child ratio wisely. And the weather couldn’t have been more beautiful during their stay. I’ll show you some of the great times we had together:

We enjoyed some adult-only time by going out to eat at Good Stuff in DC. If you live here, try it. You will not regret it.

We took a Sunday stroll through Watkins Park, of course. The pumpkin patch was ready, and the kids were ecstatic, and loved pointing out all the “punkinth” over and over. They were also extremely happy to run around, while still on their harnesses most of the time, thank goodness. It so nice that they don’t eat everything they see on the ground anymore so we can do this, instead of always keeping them in the stroller.

Mom and I went apple picking. It was such a lovely, quiet morning. We couldn’t get enough of the gorgeous countryside. And those apples. . .mmm. More on those later.

We also went out to eat with the kids, which turned out to be a most pleasant time! Of course, we went to the Alamo. Delicious as usual, and quite a different experience from the last time we went there with the babies.

We stopped at the park on the way home. I love to see the babies so incredibly happy as they run free. We chased each other all over that field, and Alex wanted to explore further into the trees. He sees no bounds.

They all enjoyed the new puppets Nana brought for them. Ruby hogs them a little bit. (Look closely, Matt.)

We ate so much good food. I just couldn’t stop trying new recipes, like Grilled Breakfast Pizza, Layered Autumn Quinoa Salad,

Fresh Apple Pie (It's not like me to use store bought crust. At least I tried to make it look homemade, right? Those things just really come in handy sometimes.),and not pictured are Slow Cooked Overnight Oatmeal, White Bean Hash, and Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, among other things. All recipes are highly recommended.

And we just enjoyed being together.

I also loved running with Mom and Dad one morning. Made me feel like a true member of the running clan. We also made it to the Amish Market one morning, which was as wonderful as always. Those Amish know how to eat. I bought a chuck roast I am dying make into a juicy Sunday dinner.

We hope to see them again sooner than later. Until then, the webcam will have to do. See you soon, Nana and Papa! We miss you!

Shaken Up

2011-10-11T23:16:00.001-04:00

We arrived at Target within a half and hour of this taking place. As I was getting ready to leave on our errands this morning, I was a little annoyed at myself that it took me longer than usual to get everything together to leave the house. Now I couldn’t be more thankful I took time to take a longer shower, wash the grapes and put together clean sippy cups before we hit the road.

When we arrived, we saw the commotion of ambulances, etc., but my dad checked and said it was still alright for us to go in. We made our way into the store around the caution tape, and were only able to do my returns before everyone was asked to leave the store. We then found out a few more details, and were gladly on our way.

It wasn’t until the news stories hit, that I really started feeling quite sick about it. Thinking about my babies in danger truly makes me short of breath. Why must the world be such a scary place? And now that I have a family, and my heart has so much more attached to it, these types of things hit in a different way. I have pretended to shrug it off all day, keeping myself busy, and telling myself that that these types of things, and much worse, happen all the time, but I think this is the closest I’ve ever come to something so random and close to home. Now that I’m trying to sleep, I can’t stop thinking about how something like this can happen at any moment. (And I think subconsciously, all this was partly to blame for my childish outburst during a moment of overstimulation this evening.) I just have a horrible feeling in my stomach about it. I can see myself turning a bit agoraphobic if I let my mind keep going there. Maybe our winter quarantine will be welcomed instead of dreaded this year. I’m sure some prayers and time will help, but still, this was one of those eye opening experiences for me. Is there anywhere we can go that is safe?

(There has been plenty of fun going on here as well. That is coming up. I just wanted to get this off my mind.)

Love is in the air.

2011-10-06T13:15:00.001-04:00

The love for Fall, that is (and for other things too, as always, but that’s not what this post it about). The leaves are turning a deep orange and red, and I just drank my first cup of hot apple cider for the season. Life is good. There is rarely a day when something spiced or pumpkin flavored isn’t baking or simmering around here. I wanted to share a few good finds that I’ve tried so far.
We had a little brunch last weekend that went over very well. Elise and Jeff made delicious and adorable little breakfast cups, and hash browns. And I couldn’t resist trying a couple recipes I have been excited about: a Spiced Quinoa Apple Pie Parfait, and Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Bread. It was a rich morning, but we didn’t have much guilt because Elise and I have been running a lot lately. It was well deserved, and well worth it.
I also had to give these Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes a shot. I may have used a pancake mix (cause, ya know, when you have three hungry toddlers, you need a little short cut sometimes), but a pancake mix never tasted so moist, caramelized, and delicious. I just added a good amount of canned pumpkin, and some spices to the mix, and used the filling in the recipe. I will be making these again. They kids devoured them without any syrup or glaze, as did I. Though, I’m sure those things wouldn’t hurt. Or many they would.
A couple other pumpkin recipes I’ve tried are a Pumpkin Quinoa Bake (that I changed up a little bit), and a Pumpkin Spice Smoothie. Interesting and fun. I’m sure I’ll be ridiculously sick of pumpkin when the season comes to a close with all the recipes I have in store, but that’s fine with me. I’m very much looking forward to my old favorites like Pumpkin Bread, Wassail Cake, and many, many other fall recipes, both sweet and savory. My mom and dad just came into town! I’m sure they won’t mind trying a few new things with me.

Just in case you wanted a little something to watch today.

2011-10-04T11:39:00.001-04:00

Alex’s new skill I told you about.

They love this classical music thanks to this dvd. They always sing right along (but of course they didn’t sing it as well as they usually do while I was filming). It came with an audio cd of all the great pieces in the show, and we listen to that quiet often now. It’s much more mom-ear-friendly than a lot of the other music they like.

What do they need me for?

Some more post-dinner, pre-bedtime craziness for you. It’s quite a show.

It’s in the Blood.

2011-10-02T19:42:00.001-04:00

I come from a family of avid runners, starting with my Grandma. A few weeks ago Elise told me she had taken up running in the mornings as well, and I realized that meant I was nearly the last one in my family to not enjoy this form of exercise. In high school, I hated it. I had a lot of pain associated with running, which led me to believe it wasn’t for me. I started it up again in college and even ran a few races, but that was short lived since I soon started culinary school and was short on time for extracurricular activities. I have loved other forms of exercise throughout the years, which have included Pilates, my elliptical, and caring for triplets, a completely legitimate form of cardio and strength training, believe me! But, with the elliptical tucked away for the time being, and the weather so gorgeous, I felt motivated to join Elise in this new challenge. I gave myself a small goal at first, to go a couple miles just once a week, so I wouldn’t start to resent it, and sometimes it was just hard to find the time. But I have since found myself not wanting to miss a day, so I make time for it. It’s especially nice with a good book to listen to on my Ipod. I find that I love that quiet time by myself in the morning, and have really felt the great endorphins, and energy as a benefit.

I felt, with this little training I’ve done, that a 5k was in order. I knew there was one coming up that I really wanted to participate in, and luckily I registered just in time. It was the Race for the Family by the Cade Foundation, sponsored by my very own Shady Grove Fertility. This race was all about overcoming infertility! How could I NOT do this race?!

So we all made the trip early this morning. Of course it was the coldest day of the season yet, but that didn’t dampen our spirits. Elise and I had a great time doing this together. It’s so fun to have a running buddy. The trail was a bit hilly, and the cold hurt at times, but in the end it felt wonderful, and I can definitely see more races in my future. If only the whole fam was there to run with us! Though I certainly would’ve been left in in all of your dust.KC and the babies were a great support team, even if they were in the van watching Monsters Inc. most of the time. We didn’t win any awards or the raffle for the free IVF cycle (bummer!), but I was happy to support the cause, and get a good workout. I’m a beginner, so my time wasn’t too impressive, a little over 29 minutes, but I think that’s a couple minutes faster than my last 5k about 7 years ago, so hey, it’s an improvement!Thanks for this shot, Jeff. The reason for my smile at this particular moment, is that my name was misspelled on my registration, so when I crossed the finish line they announced something like, “Way to go Emil Robinson!” Not sure it was my mistake or theirs, but it made for a few laughs this morning.

I don't know how long this running kick will last. With the winter coming, this whole running operation is sure to be shut down, but at least I know I have it in me to start up again when the conditions are right. Who knew I would actually enjoy running? Not me.

Final Summer Sweep

2011-10-01T11:00:00.001-04:00

So now that wonderful, beautiful, glorious fall is here, it’s time to catch up on any summer tidbits I may have left out.

We happen to hit the Annapolis Mall on a huge family day event they were having one morning. We got there early, but then saw the crowds swarming and knew something was up. The babies had a great time. There was live music, craft tables, face painting, and even Legos for kids to build and keep. We mostly enjoyed the music, and awesome play place.

My friend blew up a fun little pool in her fenced in patio, and invited us over. Sounded like the perfect setting for my kids. They loved it. It was the first time they’d played in a pool for a long time (this was before Utah) so it was fun for me to see ho much they enjoyed themselves. And Hilary was nice to invite so many of us over at once!

While we were on vacation, the hurricane hit, as I mentioned before. But that wasn’t the end. When we got back, we had a week straight of torrential rain. Elise said at some points it was as bad as Irene. It makes for good entertainment for the kids out the front window. We were drenched just after bringing all the kids and groceries in. Not too convenient. I think there was an overwhelming sense of relief around here when the sun finally came out, even if it has only peeked out a few times.

Another little surprise when we came home, was the constant chirping of a cricket inside the van. It got pretty aggravating, especially when I was alone in the car and that’s all I could here. I could tell it was hidden up in the inner workings of the drivers side, and kept imagining it would start hopping all over my feet while I drove. One day I caught a glimpse of it , and saw it scurry back in the hole that the pedals come out of. I was on a mission to catch the little guy, so I set a sticky trap right where I saw it. Sure enough, the next time I looked in the car, there he was. I don’t like bugs in my territory. He should’ve known that.

We’ve been having a great time going out with the Ribeiras. It’s so nice to hit the town now and then, especially when you have good company. One such occasion was at Buca di Beppo. The name alone is what made the decision for us to go there, and that Elise and Jeff said it was good. Anyway, we ended up being put at their coveted kitchen table, which we found out people usually reserve months in advance. The food was delicious, and the chef made sure we were having a great time. Dessert was on the house (a perk of sitting at our table) and unfortunately/fortunately so was our main dish due to a small hair I found. Quite embarrassing for them, as they talked up the dish so much, and we could see them making it. They made up for it with their great customer service, and a HUGE discount. Plus, look at our dessert.

Ruby could not be woken up after a short drive home from the store. She got an early nap that day.

Elise took this as she was leaving the house. I love several things about this picture.

With Ruby often taking off her diaper now, we have to resort to this attractive duct tape method when she insists on having her pants off. Which is a lot. We have since found these, and they seem to be working well so far, not to mention they look a slightly less white trash when she is running around pants-less, but who knows how long it will be before she figures a way out of those as well. I sense some potty training in my near future. We shall see.

Sharing! Without any intervening from me! This is truly worthy of documentation. It doesn’t happen often.Notice how it’s just the boys in these pictures. Ruby is a bit more territorial. Observe:

She’s just playing along,

until someone gets near her. She starts to guard her precious toys (which in this case is a bag of silly odds and ends that she LOVES) with her life.

And when one is even touched,

this happens. A lot. Every day. We’re working on it.

We are learning to eat like big people.Apparently we have to teach some manners about eating at the big people table.

Bennett, always finding something else to put on his head.

We’re definitely in the line-everything-up stage.

I had to laugh when I saw ruby getting her baby ready to eat.

First a kiss.

Then she buckles.

And tells the baby she is a good girl.I think the baby even got a few bites of Ruby’s apple that day.

Everyone loves a good lounge. Bennett seems to like it the most.

Ruby came to me one day all ready to go out. Lookin’ good.

Alex, so proud of his block tower.

He’s also a fan of making hats out of toy bins.I should also say that my big boy Alex also learned how to jump a couple weeks ago. I can’t get enough of his jumping all over the living room. The others think they are jumping when they really aren’t. That’s funny too.

I just love this post-nap capture. Usually it’s Alex that’s cranky when he wakes up.She cheered up quickly.

Who knew the toy bins could have so many purposes.

I think Alex was enjoying his alone time.

But I don’t think he minded having a friend join him.

There is no end to the amount of fun babies can have with a box.

Big or small.

A new place Bennett likes to hang.

Ruby put her shirt on as pants, and was pretty frustrated when they wouldn’t stay up.

It’s bad enough that Ruby won’t keep her diaper on, now Bennett is showing that he’d prefer his buns bare as well.

Ruby’s just checking her email. She’s actually not at all allowed to do this, it just looked so legit.

Alex prefers to eat snacks at the table.

Ruby likes the floor. Bennett likes dumping his on the floor and either eating it, or stomping on it. I’m usually annoyed and cleaning it up, instead of taking pictures, so there isn’t one of him.

They are all so in love with Goodnight Moon. Especially Bennett. What is it about that book?

Few things make me happier than my naked, happy babies.

Oh, or when they are naked, happy, and Daddy is home (and I get a little break-whew!). That might win in my happy column.

Goodbye summer! We had an exciting, and exhausting time together. Now it’s time to truly embrace fall, being the first day of October, and the weather getting chilly. I have such fun plans this fall. I hope I get to them all.

Juju Déjà Vu

2011-09-28T19:09:00.001-04:00

One morning at my sister Melody’s house, my niece Julia quietly wandered into the living room after waking up. I remembered a picture I have of her when she was just a tiny toddler, and had to take another picture just like it. Great comparison, eh? She must sleep a certain way so that her right pant leg gets all bunched up every night.

June 2009

August 2011

You like the hot chips?

2011-09-24T18:30:00.001-04:00

With the men in our house having things to do on Friday night (for KC, it was catching up on sleep, since he pulled an all-nighter at work on Thursday night), or really the women of the house needing a change of scene, Elise and I took the opportunity to give into our Mexican food craving at The Alamo, and hit the movies.
We love going to The Alamo on Friday nights because they have authentic live music played by a pair of charming guys. It makes the experience all the better. This time the duo had a third maraca man, who could also sing beautifully. We ordered one of our favorite (big enough to share and each have leftovers to take home) meal. Of course they brought us chips in the meantime. I’m sort of a chips and salsa-aholic. I can’t stop myself. So I was a little glad when the chips were a little cold and stale-ish, so I wouldn’t over do it. But knowing it’s not like The Alamo to serve something subpar, and knowing the potential those chips had, I asked the friendly waiter (who I’m ashamed to say, probably remembers me by now) if we could replace our bowl with a more fresh batch. It’s really not like me to cause a fuss, but I just love chips and salsa so so much, something just came over me. He said, “You like the hot chips?” to which I responded with an enthusiastic “Yes!”, and that was the best decision I made all week. I’ve never had chips so hot and melt-in-you-mouthy as those. Heaven. That was a great start to a great night. Then our food came. I was lost in it. I told Elise, that every time I have good Mexican food, I just want to live in that extremely happy place as long as possible. This was one of those moments. We enjoyed every bite we could handle, and left feeling like that was exactly what we needed after a seemingly long week. Does this all make me sound pathetic? I don’t care.
We saw a 9:30 showing of The Help (Look at us, living it up!), which made me so happy I live in this day and age, so glad there were some enthusiastic ladies in the audience to comment on the funniest things (I think we were the only white people in the theater), and so happy to have my own sweet babies to cuddle in the morning. Oh, and I was glad I bought some Everlasting Gobstoppers before the show. I was really pulling out all the stop last night.
We made it home around 12:30. It was fun. I love a girls night, especially with my sister here to do them with. I just wanted to remember this great night, and many others like it. I mean, we love spending the day with all the kids, laughing to tears as they entertain us, but sometimes, after they go to bed, we need a different kind of entertainment that doesn’t involve board books, wipes, and animal sounds, ya know?

Infertility Perks

2011-09-21T20:33:00.001-04:00

We had the pleasure of attending the Shady Grove Fertility Family Day this past weekend. And it was quite the extravaganza, let me tell you. I thought the NICU reunion was big, but this event was entertaining over 2,500 happy people. Everywhere you turned there were dozens of children, all here with the help of the many doctors and nurses, etc. that helped us all on our journey to having families. I was a little overwhelmed at first, seeing the hugeness of the crowd (I’m not a crowd-type person), but we soon found our way around. There was even a map to help us navigate. Of course, we didn’t participate in any of the awesome activities for the kids (pony rides, face painting, clowns making balloon animals, petting zoo, bounce houses, dancing, etc.) since them getting lost was a very strong possibility, not to mention the ridiculous lines, but I did fulfill my one goal for the afternoon, which was to make sure to see our doctor. There was an area designated to meeting the docs., and sure enough, we found him right there. We stepped up, and immediately gave each other a huge hug, as if we were family. He was ecstatic to see the kids, and wanted to know how we were dealing with everything. He said there were few cases during his career that kept him up at night, and ours was one of them. He wanted so much for everything to work out, from conceiving, to actually making it to term (or close enough to it), and he was so happy and relieved to see that it has. It was a wonderful time chatting with him, and with no one else in line at the moment, we took our time catching up. It was nice to see him in a more casual setting, where I could really see him as a friend, and not a doctor with another patient in line and paperwork to catch up on (though he never made me feel that way in the office). It’s always such a great reminder of how we got to where we are today. I need those now and then, when the babies’ difficult behavior causes me to forget on occasion. I Hope we keep this relationship going as long as we can. They will definitely be on my Christmas card list every year.

We hit the barbeque pavilion, gave about 20 people information about our stroller (the man pushing his triplets in a triple-wide stroller was very jealous), and made our way back to the car. They were trying to gather the masses for a ginormous group picture, but we opted out, knowing it would take over an hour to get everyone together, and we just didn’t have that kind of time. The kids were antsy. But we left feeling good and happy and glad we made the 40 minute, each way, drive.

A little organizing goes a long way.

2011-09-17T11:28:00.001-04:00

It’s expensive to live in Maryland. So people like us live in small spaces. Whenever I’m in Utah, I realize just how much more expensive it is to live here, when I notice how much more people had for the same amount of money. Anyway, when you are stuck with tight living conditions, you learn to be grateful for any little extra space you have, and try to figure out how to be creative with that space. Our one extra room (an extra room is truly a luxury around here) is our play room/guest room. We move the toys out when guests come, and then it’s back to playroom mode when they leave. The kids think the change is a lot of fun, so we don’t mind at all switching it up now and then. It’s works for us.

But as we get more/bigger toys as the kids grow up, we find the room feeling smaller and smaller. We definitely like to rotate toys from the basement to keep things interesting, but it still gets cramped. I felt the organizing bug hit me pretty hard a while ago, but I feel like my hands are a little tied right now. While we’re renting, I don’t want to invest in any shelving, or any permanent-type toy organization. We’ve tried simple options like our toy bin thing, which I’ve loved. It was great while the kids were younger. But now that they are getting older and wiser, it seems to be more of a toy itself, as they tear it apart the second we put it all back together. It will definitely come in handy through the years, but for now I think I’d rather have it in their room, serving some purpose besides causing more of a mess, while it’s supposed to do the opposite. So I got to thinking of what would work for our situation now. Having toys is still new to me, so it’s hard to know what to do with them when they are all of the sudden coming out of your ears!

I decided to go the most practical route, and buy several large lidded bins. The toys are now organized by type, and are all bagged individually inside each bin. I also bought some of those awesome jumbo Ziploc bags that hold all the balls, tents, and any inflatables when they aren’t in use. I now have much more control over the toys than I did before, and more space for them too. The kids love it. We open one or two bins at a time, they bring me a bag to open, and they play with the toys as if they’ve never seen them before. It’s also helping as I’m trying to teach them to clean up what they are playing with, before we get something new out. I’m sure that lesson will take some time to learn, but you gotta start somewhere. This should also make the guestroom to playroom transition a little easier, with just a few things to move around.

So, it’s nothing fancy, it’s nothing unique, but it’s perfect for our situation right now. I feel like no matter what you do to make your life more organized and clutter-free, as simple as it may be, can feel like such a breath of fresh air, don’t you think? A clean house = a happy mom around here, so until this stops working and we need to make another change, this makes me very happy.

Before:

After:

As much as I fanaticize about having a huge basement playroom, or, say, more than one bathroom, I’m going to look on the bright side of the situation and enjoy that I only have this small space to clean right now. The kids don’t know any different, so why rush into wanting more, instead of enjoying what we have? I’ll try to remember that this winter when it feels like the walls are closing in on us.

It Hurts

2011-09-14T15:46:00.002-04:00

Why do kids have to grow up so fast? Do they know how much it hurts their mommies’ hearts (sorry mom!)? I suppose they don’t have any choice in the matter, so I’ll try to look on the bright side and thoroughly enjoy the new sweet things my kids do and say as they get older. My darlings turned two years old on Monday, and I felt overwhelmed with love and gratitude every time their little faces smiled up at me, or when they reached up to ask me to hold them, or when they planted a big kiss right on my lips. Mmmm, I couldn’t live without those babies (yes, they are still babies, because I said so). This past year wasn’t as challenging as the first, but it wasn’t without its many challenges either. I have so much to learn about parenting. My role as a mother has changed significantly from simply (Ha! As if it was simple.) helping them survive by feeding, bathing, changing, and holding them, to now having to teach them right from wrong, and how to communicate, among many other very valuable things. I have a feeling we’re all going to be learning a lot of new things together as they years go on, because I really feel inadequate to take on such a task as raising children. But I’ll do my best, and pray that it’s good enough.

Because we had a bit of a bash for their birthday last year, I wanted to keep it pretty low key this year, as they still aren’t very particular about what they expect out of their birthday. It started with them waking up happily a little after 7:00. We let them immediately open some presents, which made them very happy little two year olds (and made me a very happy mommy as they played quietly for a long time).

In my family, we always got to choose any kind of cereal we wanted for our birthday breakfast (by the way Mom and Dad, that is genius. It might be the easiest and cheapest way to make a kid feel like they are getting special treatment first thing in the morning.) The kids didn’t pick these out, but we happened to have them on hand (thank you Target sale) and they seemed like the kinds I picked out as a kid. The babies were in heaven as they gobbled up their own bowls of Trix. Don’t worry, they had Wheaties the next day.

I hadn’t seen any friends in so long, that I just invited some people over to play, to make the day a little different and fun. It also gave me an excuse to make some festive treats for the occasion. Which were (see if you can guess the theme):

Mini Coconut Cupcakes

Mini Lemon, and Chocolate Glazed Doughnuts

Mini Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

Mini brownies

Mini Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

Mini loaves of Wheat Bread with Havarti Cheeses

Yeah, I just couldn’t resist doing a mini dessert party with all the resources I had. I can’t forget to mention the mini ice cream cones, and mini popsicles that aren’t pictured. I think this is a theme I will have to play with again for gatherings in the future. Although it was way too easy to eat too many mini desserts.

So friends arrived around 10, and the fun began. I think we had about 25 in the end. The kids thought it was great having all these new faces to show off for. And so many little friends to play with. I was also happy to play with my friends. We don’t get together often enough. We talked, ate, played, broke up fights over toys, consoled crying children, laughed at funny children, and had some good old fashioned fun. I put my kids down for a nap around noon, and didn’t hear a peep out them them until after three. Thank you babies! They must’ve known they’d get to stay up later and party if they had an extra long nap.

Friends filtered out and we had the afternoon to play with their new toys, and watch their new movie, Beauty and the Beast. KC brought home a Pizza later on, which the kids loved (as did I, enjoying a break from the kitchen) with their ranch dressing “dipit”. They ate a few of the previously mentioned treats earlier, but I saved their cupcakes for dinner. They were so excited when the flames were lit, and we gave them a little help blowing them out. They nibbled on cupcakes, and each got an ice cream cone, and then it was off to bed with them.

I have a feeling the years are only going to start going by faster as they grow up. I guess I better prepare myself now for the heartache that will cause. But I’m sure I’ll be distracted by how much fun they are as they get older. I’m looking forward to so much we’ll do together in the future, but I also love how much fun we have together everyday. I guess, in the end, it’s a win, win. Happy Birthday, my babies. Is it okay if I call you that just a little bit longer?

Now, excuse me while I post a million more pictures.

In case you are wondering (cause I would be if I knew what kind of group picture posers these kids are), we used alphabet flash cards to make them sit still and look at the camera. Worked like a charm!

Mountains and Cool Mornings

2011-09-10T12:54:00.001-04:00

We returned from our whirlwind trip last Sunday night, and I feel like I have just barely recuperated from all the intense fun (etc.) a trip with one year old triplets can produce. It’s about time I get this all down before it nags at me any longer. There is so much I want to remember. Here is my highlighted recap of our adventure.

We woke up around 4:30 am, to catch our 7:15 flight. I couldn’t sleep until about 1:45 the night before (not for lack of trying), so I was still feeling the affects of the half a Unisom I took, and realized once in Utah that I had forgotten to put on mascara. At least my clothes were right-side-in. The babies, excepting a little bed-head, were right as rain when we left. KC’s dad flew in the night before to help with the flights. What a guy! Elise was also a huge help by taking us to the airport at 5:30 am! I’m lucky to have so many people willing to help us.
Security was annoying, as expected. It seems they weren’t in as much of a hurry to check out the stroller as we were to get the kids back in it. Arg. We had to break out some valuable snacks early. The flight was a bit of a roller coaster. I had SO many new toys, books, three dvd players, and duffle bag full of snacks, which did work for a short time, but the kids started getting pretty squirmy and whiny a couple hours in. I had to change a diaper in the shoebox of a bathroom, and each of them really tested my patience at one time or another. There might have been a feeling of despair for a moment or two. (Being the mom makes you feel like you are responsible for fixing every problem, even if the one you’re holding is doing great. It’s a difficult place to be. My neck and nerves got a work out as I was constantly checking everyone’s status. They don’t let us all sit on the same row because of the number of oxygen masks per row. Ugh. ) And then something magical happened, I saw Bennett asleep on Clyde’s shoulder, then Ruby on KC’s. I knew Alex needed to sleep too, so I took my turn in the back of the plane chatting with the nice attendant as I swayed back and forth until he drifted off. Man that kid is heavy. I was in pain. The poor babies don’t quite know how to fall asleep in such conditions. It was a lovely 45 minutes, and I found myself waking up now and again to my mouth gaping open. I guess I was a little tired too. We were warmly greeted by Janice, who brought our borrowed car seats, graciously loaned by Melody’s friends (along with all the other gear we needed!). We got our rental van settled, and were on our way to Melody’s house, where we would stay for the duration of the trip.
We stayed in Melody newly finished, and gorgeous basement. The kids were in heaven with all the new toys and rooms to explore. They expectedly woke up pretty early most of the days we were there, so we utilized our quiet dvd players for those long mornings that sometimes started at 4:30.
The beautiful fenced in back yard was a hit with the kids and parents. What we would give to have such a luxury where we live. They were safe to run as they pleased. We got out there as early as those cool Utah mornings would let us. And I think my kids would play on the tramp most of the day if we let them. The yard is also home to an awesome garden that we had the pleasure of eating from on many occasions. Those Rejholecs know how to live!
All five of us caught a cold. Most of us got over it quickly, and were still able to enjoy ourselves with the help of constant medicine, but poor Ruby doesn’t just get a little cold. She started wheezing after a few days, and I knew we needed to take her to the good old Instacare. Fortunately, there was one 5 minutes from Melody’s house. We arrived right when it opened, hardly waited, paid our regular co-pay, and saw the doctor shortly after entering our room. When does that ever happen?! After one quick neb. treatment, she was sounding much better. They handed me a prescription for albuterol, and a nebulizer, and just told me to return it when I was done with it. Again, when does that happen?! Utah is such a magical place. A trusting, clean, helpful, magical place. I was almost giddy after such a great experience. Afterward, we treated ourselves to French toast at kneaders with KC’s mom and sister Michelle. But the colds made for very long nights for the rest of the trip. Ruby’s coughing was pretty bad, and she gets insanely hyper after nebulizing. Like delusional. Luckily, we’ve learned from their newborn phase how to function, and even have fun, on only a few hours of sleep a night.
My sisters (minus Elise, who we really missed), Mom, and I took a quick trip to Park City together. We ate delicious food, perused the outlets, lounged in the hot tub, and laughed until we cried. It’s such a beautiful place. We took a ride on the ski lift, and enjoyed those breathtaking views. And our brunch was pretty amazing as well. I miss my girls. Can’t wait for our next retreat!
There were many family gatherings on both sides. Always including lots of food, and lots of people. I know I ate too much almost every day, but it was so worth it. Melody and I love to cook together. We didn’t have as much free time to spend in the kitchen as we would’ve liked, but managed to make a few fun things. I wish some of the pictures were better, but you get the idea.

Virgin Strawberry Basil Mojitos

Flourless Orange Cake

Fruit Pizza

Coconut cake filled with Strawberry Mousse

Peanut butter, Cheesecake, Brownie, S’more Cake thing. (Similar to this recipe.)

Grilled Pizza

I think the kids had the most fun when we pulled out all the water toys. Melody’s yard really transforms into a toddler water park. I really wanted to try out one of the nearby splash pads, but realized I was much more relaxed just staying at Melody’s where the kids can’t run away. Plus, Ruby can’t run around naked (the only thing that brightened her sick spirits one day) in public! Another great reason to be fenced in.
The babies also loved playing at KC’s parents house. They were in the final preparations of the wedding, and still found time for a few visits. They love all of KC’s and his sister’s old toys, and got creative playing with other things in the house. KC’s even took them over there a couple times by himself. Quite the little break for me! They threw a little pre-birthday party, complete with banana chocolate chip muffin/cupcakes and presents! Lucky kids.
Something I’ve craved for a the past few years is a good campfire. And what better place to fulfill that need than up the beautiful American Fork Canyon. I suggested we make it an adults-only event, since I would never in a million years bring my kids anywhere near an open flame. Mom and dad got the campsite for the night, and we all met up there for hot dogs, s’mores, and games that made us laugh so loud, I’m sure the neighboring campers were wondering what could really be that funny. It was just what I needed. That mountain, pine scented air is intoxicating. I didn’t realize how much I missed it. And those stars are something else. These are things we really don’t have where I live now. Not that Maryland isn’t beautiful, I just miss what I grew up with.
We tried to do fun things with the kids and their cousins as often as we could. One day we took them to a little aquarium in Sandy. I was pretty impressed with this place that was once a grocery store. There were some awesome animals there. The kids were so fascinated, and of course, loved finding Nemo. We left when they were clearly ready for a nap, but managed to stop by Beto’s for lunch to go.
The reason for this trip, was KC’s sister’s Wedding. Remember Camille and Tyler? Well, they tied the knot last Saturday, and we were so happy we could make it to Utah to celebrate with them. They make a beautiful couple. The ceremony and reception were up Provo Canyon at a beautiful ranch, not to mention it was catered by Café Rio. It was a great time, and wonderful to see to many familiar faces we haven’t seen for quite a while. The babies made a quick five minute appearance for pictures after the ceremony (thanks Mom, Dad and Katy for bringing them all the way there!), and then it was off to bed with them. I was sweating and exhausted after that five minutes. There was open water in every direction. I’m so glad we made plans to have them come after the ceremony. We might have gotten a decent picture or two of the kids, though Ruby refused to wear her headband. That’s a toddler for you. We are so happy for Camille and Tyler. Hopefully it isn’t too long before this whole group is together again.
We said our goodbyes on Sunday afternoon, after a delicious dinner made by Jonny, with Mom, Dad and the Rejholecs. It was nice to have an evening flight, so that I was able to leisurely prepare throughout the day. I cleaned most of our laundry so I wouldn’t have mountains of it when I got home. I highly suggest that strategy whenever possible. KC’s dad came with us again. I prepared as well and I could, and prayed for a good flight. Security went a little smoother, and the individual bags of popcorn really helped while we were in the airport. The employee at the terminal desk called us to make sure sure our three lap-children weren’t added as a mistake. When she saw our situation, she made sure we were all sitting as closely together as possible. Whew! And then another emplyee came over and said “Triplets! You poor thing.” I was a little annoyed, I gotta admit. Especially since, at the time, the kids were being really good. Of all the comments I get, that one isn’t usually welcome. But I shrugged it off, since she doesn’t really know how much fun it is to squish and kiss all three of them on a daily basis. Maybe she just felt bad for us having to fly with all three, but still. Oh well. We were more than delighted when all of us had one or two empty seats next to us. Alex began to get tired immediately, and laid on my lap while finishing the rest of his popcorn. There were a few small wrestling matches, but they were mild and short-lived, as the babies realized it was their bed time and started to calm down. After some trading around (sometimes a baby who I‘m not holding will see me, and demand to sit on my lap, so we trade), I ended up with Ruby, who promptly fell asleep with my lap as her pillow. I was able to watch my individual TV to my hearts content, and later, Ruby even squirmed into the seat next to me, so I was free to sit and stand as I pleased. Nice. She and Alex (who KC ended up with) slept most of the flight, while Bennett, after a one hour nap, woke up and stayed up. Poor Clyde. The boy was hyper! Happy at least, but really wired. I gave him a sucker, my last resort, and he just bounced all over that empty row while he watched Nemo. Then he took Clyde sucker, and was really in heaven. We finally made it home around 11:30 pm, where Elise was waiting with our van. What a trooper that girl was. The babies were so happy to see their house, and part of their giddiness was probably the fact that they were able to fun free after hours of sitting. They were finally in bed around 12:45 am, and I was finally in bed at 1:30, after a long hot shower (totally worth staying up for. )

So, we’re pretty much back into the swing of things. There is no damage from the hurricane as far as I can see, although we’ve had some pretty intense rain just about every day since we got home. It’s great to play with the Ribeiras again, and Lili and I are back to our daily outings and dance parties. The babies were sleeping until about 8 for a couple days, which was heavenly, but they are slowly making their way back to their early wake-up. We’re at about 6:45 these days. Hopefully we can hold on to that for a while. As much as I loved them sleeping in, I don’t love keeping them up later at night. That 6:00 bedtime was lovely. I hope we can keep 6:30-6:30 as their permanent schedule . We’ll see.

We miss Utah, and all the good memories it holds for both of us. It was great to see some friends and family as often as we could. And I absolutely loved staying with Melody and seeing her kids that have changed so much. She was so patient with having so many extra people in her house. The kids were always loud and making messes, but luckily she had a toddler too, so she understood what she was getting herself into when she agreed to let us stay there. Her home is so beautiful and has inspired me to be more organized. It was really hard to say goodbye. It’s hard to live so far away from your twin sister. I really really hope that somehow we see each other again very soon.

But we are glad to be home, and to be back to all the people and things we missed here. Thanks again for all the Fun, Utah! Until next time (which, since the kids will be TWO on Monday (!), won’t be too soon with the crazy flight prices and all.)

Until we return. . .

2011-08-23T18:25:00.001-04:00

Well, I’ve successfully used up almost all the perishable food in the house (and consequently have about six meals in the freezer prepared for when we come home to a house with no food). And I have made who-knows-how many packing lists. (Toys/activities for flight, food for flight, baby clothes, baby extras, my clothes, my extras. . .you get the idea). And last night I had the mandatory, pre-travel dream (twice) where we miss the flight, so it looks like we are as ready as we’ll be to get this show on the road. Please enjoy this selection of videos while we are with our families for a week and a half of cousin/aunt/uncle/grandparent/parent/sibling heaven.

If only I could get as much joy out of running around a chair over and over.

This went on for a few minutes straight. This also often happens in the car. Thank you, children.

This reminds me so much of a video of Melody and me at this age (you know the one, Mel). I love that Alex is completely unaffected by Ruby’s rudeness.

I love Ruby’s creative play in this, but I mostly added it because KC was involved in the filming of this video. A very rare occurrence.

One of our favorite pastimes/distractions lately.

We like to fit in one or two dance parties a day. The babies are more than enthusiastic every time the hear the music start.

Here goes nothin’!

Does this help?

2011-08-20T17:00:00.001-04:00

People naturally have a hard time telling the boys apart. They do look rather alike, though I can tell who’s who from any angle or any noise they make, but that’s part of being their mom. But I understand how it might be hard for others. I try to dress them differently most of the time (I actually regret buying the few matching outfits they have. I like when they look more individual, even if it’s just different colors of the same shirt.), and put Bennett in more of a blue color scheme if that is an option. His shoes are also blue. But I also point out to people that Alex is and always has been a bit on the chubbier side. His nursery leader uses that hint. In fact, that’s the technique I sometimes relied on when they were newborns that looked much more alike than they do now.

But I have come up with one more way to help people tell them apart, by giving them different hair cuts. I love their little baby boy curls more than anything, but Bennett seems to be able to pull the look off a bit better. And with Alex’s cheeks taking over, I thought he could use less poofy helmet to help balance that out. Here’s the result. He’s a bit too handsome for his own good, if you ask me. They both are. I am in for it.

I actually cut Alex’s hair twice in the last few days (the pictures above are after the second cut), since it wasn’t short enough for my liking in these pictures below, but still, don’t you you think it helps set them apart a little bit more?

Is it bad that a picture where they are so sad makes me so happy?

This should be especially helpful with our upcoming travels to Utah! We haven’t been there in over a year, and they have changed a bit since then. I don’t mind helping when people ask who’s who, but maybe this little difference will make it even easier on those that haven’t seen then in quite some time.