The Three Turned Three!

I’m a little in denial right now. It’s just cruel how quickly our sweet babies grow up. CRUEL. I ache to have just a few hours of their baby time back. But is it terrible to say that I am relived that we are done with the year of three two-year-olds?! As much as I have SO enjoyed watching them grow and learn so much this past year, there were times when I thought I might die. Seriously. From flailing arms and legs, or panic attacks, or over exertion from trying to strap kids in the car seats while they insist on screaming and arching their backs, or just the constant feeling of being overwhelmed with life. It’s a serious roller coaster, being a parent, and having these three all at once just makes the ride that much more dangerous, and exciting. I miss my little babies so much it hurts, but I WILL NOT miss the terrible twos. I know the threes come with a lot of drama as well, but I can see that as they get older, they just become easier to deal with, even if just a little. I have seen a clear change in my kiddos in just the last couple of months. I can’t believe I can communicate in almost normal conversation with my babies! Crazy.

So, while I didn’t have huge plans of a birthday party, we did do a lot of fun things. It ended up being more of a week of parties, than just one day. Why not?

It started on Tuesday. That morning, we went to a fun birthday party of a friend who was turning four. It was perfect for the cute group of toddlers, and we practiced all morning saying, “Happy Birthday Jonny!” which they performed perfectly for the birthday boy. It was their first real birthday party, and it was so fun to see them interact and listen (for the most part) to instruction. And it got them all primed for their own big day.

That evening we decided to go with the Ribeiras to Texas Roadhouse. I must have signed up for something at some point, because I got an email saying they got free kids meals for their birthday. We called ahead, were  told it would be 25 minutes from when we called, got there 25 minutes later, and waited and waited and waited. Thank goodness they had a painting station for the kids, all the peanuts they could ever want, and someone dressed in an armadillo costume that Ruby was obsessed with. Who knows how many high fives he gave her. It happened to also be kids night, hence all the activities. We probably waited over an hour. I was trying not to get annoyed since the kids were really doing well. Then we were taken to a booth. We had 4 squirmy kids and 4 adults. A BOOTH! Oh man. We know they had a table for us, but aren’t sure what happened. We hurried and ordered food. We were starving. The kids were restless. Their food came out fast, but we were all so stuffed with peanuts and rolls that no one was that hungry. KC and I had been nibbling on their stuff so much that when ours finally came out we just asked for boxes. They never even brought out our appetizer. The kids were crawling all over the place, and I just kept taking people on walks around the restaurant. I don’t think I sat down for more than 5 minutes at a time. No one ever offered the ice cream they said would be available on kids night (we saw the toppings table), and they cried when we put them on the saddle and sang happy birthday. A splendid evening! When we were done, KC took them out, I waited too long for our appetizer-to-go, and we were home close to 10 pm. We got there at 6:30. Ugh. I hate eating late, and even more I hate overtired kids. We’ll skip that restaurant next time we take the kids out to dinner. At least we did get a pretty good deal, and had a lot of leftovers to enjoy. And that night KC and I got out the tools and assembled three tricycles!

On Wednesday, their actual birthday, I didn’t have much planned because my mom and dad were flying in around dinner time. When I told them happy birthday, they just kept saying, “Happy Birthday Jonny!” It took a little explaining, but soon they realized it was now their turn to celebrate! We started with the traditional birthday cereal. Since they can’t choose for themselves yet (like I’d put myself in THAT situation), I chose Trix and Cocoa Puffs. Turns out I chose well. It was a gorgeous day so we decided to go to Watkins Park. It wasn’t our most fun visit with a lot of potty false alarms and Ruby not listening to me when I told (more like yelled at) her to not run into the street as I am running with the stroller to catch up with her. I think they were tired from the lack of sleep the night before and were acting up a little. We were anxious to get home and get to sleep. During naps I worked on the cakes and took a rest myself.

Around 6 I piled up the kids and went to the airport to pick up my mom and dad. The kids had so much to say as they all got reacquainted. KC was busy getting balloons (which I suspected the kids would like more than any present we got for them), and picking up pizzas. We had a delicious dinner of pizza and salad, and ended with lots of birthday cakes. I made a little one for each of the kids with funfetti cake cut into stars that I stacked with different color frostings. They were happy kids. We also enjoyed a late birthday cake I promised to make for my dad when he came. I call it a peanut butter truffle cake. Addicting. The candles were so exciting for the toddlers, and they devoured their little cakes. I was clearly not thinking that day because I forgot to get any before pictures of their little cakes. Arg. After all that fun it was pretty late and the kids were already hyped up with the visitors and sweets so we decided to save presents for the next day. The kids didn’t know any different.

A

 

B (I meant to give B the blue, but they were handed out so quickly, and it really didn’t matter in the end).

R

‘

After boot camp the next morning (mom and dad came and did great!), we finally brought out the tricycles! They were a HUGE hit, just as I hoped they would be.  Ruby picked it up very quickly and started giving people rides! The boys also figured it out eventually. They are at the perfect age for these. I can’t believe how old they are. I just can’t.

The rest of the day was full of fun. With my mom and dad to help out, we took the kids to Pump it Up. Ruby and Bennett dove right in, while Alex hung back. He tends to get overstimulated easily. It happens a lot. But we didn’t let him get us down. We played and played until our time was up. My dad was awesome taking each kid, including cousin Penny, through the obstacle courses. Even Alex who wasn’t too happy about it. It was great. I took everyone in the hurricane simulator, which frightened my kids to death. But we all had a good laugh about it. Good mom, huh? I wish there was some kind of membership deal to that place, cause I’d take my kids there once a week. It’s like 10 minutes from our house.

If that wasn’t enough fun, we stopped at the Chick-Fil-A down the street for lunch, and MORE play time. It was much more Alex’s pace, and the food and service was awesome, as usual. We were ALL ready for a nap at that point. I don’t know how my parents were holding up getting up at 3 am their time for boot camp, and playing hard with the kids all morning, but they were troopers.

That night there were many more presents to be had. They were in heaven, and it was hilarious and heartwarming to hear how happy and excited they were. There was a near-disaster, when the fire truck was the more popular toy among the boys. I was annoyed with myself that I got two different toys. When will I learn!? Luckily, they soon saw the coolness of the helicopter, and did a pretty good job taking turns with each. And I was right about the balloons. Those things are like gold around here.

So, how is that for a huge, three-day birthday celebration?! Hey, with three kids to celebrate, it makes sense to keep the party going. It was so great to celebrate my babies turning three. Yes, I still call them that. I can’t stop. This has been such a big year for them. And me! I remember the first time I let them walk to the car on their own. That was HUGE for a mom who no longer had to make several trips in and out of the car. Other big developments this year have been that they can actually communicate with me and other kids, they learned to buckle their high chairs, we started potty training, sharing toys is easier, they love to hold hands, they love to say please and “tank you,” they can put on their own shoes . . . the list could go on. Maybe I’ll feel like this at every birthday, but there has been so much progress this past year that has made my life so much easier, and for that I am grateful. These little things might not be so noticeable to others, but you definitely feel a weight lifted when you no longer have to lift three big kids into the back of the van any more.

Happy Birthday, Sweeties. It’s been a crazy year, but we have all learned a lot and have become closer because of it. I now have three three-year-olds. I’m sure I’ll still need all the prayers that were being said for us when they were two. Keep them coming.  

We gave it a good try.

We did it. We took a family vacation. It was short. It was hard. But we did it. I have to admit, I had my expectations a little too high. That is something I don’t do often with the kids at this age. When we go anywhere, from a friend’s house to a restaurant, I always tell myself as we set out, that I will most likely be exhausted and frazzled by the time I get home. Sometimes I am  pleasantly surprised when all goes well and we have a great time with minimal, or NO slip-ups, but usually I have to tune out a lot of whining and expect a lot running around (and nowadays, possible potty accidents) and it just ends up being a lot more trouble than would be desirable. But we just keep going out to feel like normal humans for the moment. So keeping expectations low is a good, healthy way to go about business, to keep from feeling a sense of disappointment over and over. So excuse me if for one minute, if I decided to get excited about something and think it would actually be fun, instead of just something I had to just endure. I’m surprised at how naive I can still be sometimes.

Preparing for a trip, however long, is a lot of work on mom here. Seriously, getting the house, clothes, food, car, entertainment, EVERYTHING ready, mostly on my own while KC is at work, often just felt like too much for one person. I feel like I cleaned the house about 5 times in the 24 hours before we left, so I wouldn’t have a mess to look forward to when I got home. Just when I thought I was caught up on laundry, I found myself throwing in one more load shortly before we were leaving. Why is it SO HARD to stay on top of these things?! I kept feeling like I needed about four hired helpers to get this show on the road. Really, how are we expected to do it all? Okay, enough complaining. I did get myself into this after all.

We set out last Saturday to Williamsburg, VA. When KC’s family's time-share was about to expire, we jumped on it, feeling like it was a perfect way too feel out where we are in terms of being able to take our family on a trip. It was only a few hours away, and the place had a full size kitchen, and two bedrooms. Ideal for our situation. We needed all the conveniences we could get. I made some meals in advance, so the food wouldn’t get in the way of our fun. Eventually, we packed the car to the brim with pack ‘n’ plays, coolers (I just wanted to bring things that we hadn’t used up, but kept thinking of more easy meals, so I ended up bring a lot more food than had planned), and baggage, and off we went. We also got a car dvd player for the occasion. Lovely.

The drive went well. It did get a little frustrating when I had to climb in back over and over for little things like picking up drinks, etc. We told the kids we were going to a “Fun Fun Place!” so when we stopped at a rest stop about half way there, they saw the play place in the Burger King as we drove by, and thought we had arrived at our destination, and there was a lot of begging to get out. Ha! A little ice cream shut them up, and we continued on. They slept most of the remaining drive. perfect.

We arrived at the lovely Colonies at Williamsburg, checked right in, and explored our beautiful condo. The kids were in new territory heaven, and ran around like Tasmanian Devils checking it out, just as I imagined they would. They kept commenting on “how beautiful!” everything was. We went to the nearby store, bought some popsicles, and ice cream (it was 100 degrees the whole time we were there), and I was truly inspired to check the Blockbuster Express, because, I found a Yo Gabba Gabba Live, dvd there, which kind of saved the trip. Anyway, the kids had a hard time falling asleep in a new place, as Ruby could easily climb out of the pack ‘n’ play, and there was a huge bed to jump on in their room. Once we went in to find Ruby snuggled up in the bed, and could only see from her eyes up. Little sneak. We all eventually got some rest. I think I fell asleep about 10 minutes into the new Sherlock Holmes movie. Bummer.

I got up to work out the next morning, and found everyone happy and excited when I got back. We got ready and set out to an amazing park. I might return to Williamsburg one day for that park alone. It was that great. Aside from the insane heat, and a distracted boy who was too excited to stop playing to use the potty, it was a successful outing. We went home for a nap, and this is where the fun began. There was no way these kids were going to nap. With Ruby in and out of her bed, and the boys being riled up by her, it just wasn’t going to happen. KC and I were exhausted, and were starting to doze as things seemed to be quieting down, but I knew that quiet most often means something bad is happening, so we checked on things. Guess what we found? Ruby out of bed, of course, covered in hotel shampoo, which she also shared with Alex, who must’ve eaten some, because bubbles would come out of his mouth every time he would talk, and the toddler potty on the bed, filled with Alex’s pee pee (we guess Ruby just brought it to him, he went, and not knowing what to do with it, placed in on the bed—we looked for spills and didn’t find any), and everyone just happy as can be. Except the parents, that is. We cracked open some caffeine, took some deep breaths, and decided that if any fun was to be had, we should not count on naps at all. It just made me more frustrated. We packed up the kids and headed to Target, of course, where KC suggested we buy notebooks and crayons, which was a stroke of genius. We opened them right there in the store, and the kids colored happily, or in Bennett’s case, just held the box happily, while we perused the fun strip mall, and then headed home for more coloring time.

Ruby and I were due for a date, and since the awesome hotel water park was not so multiple toddler friendly, I took her for a little one-on-one swim time. She had a blast. It was great to see her smile, and let her gallivant wherever she wanted, without being worried about the others. And I loved her little body clinging to me when she directed me into the deep end. It was hard to tear her away, but it was dinner time.

We had breakfast for dinner, a favorite all around, and put all the exhausted babies to sleep. It was great that Ruby was the most tired, having played in the water. She didn’t move a muscle after lying down. We watched some mindless tv, Storage Hunters, and I was asleep by probably 9:30.

After a redeeming afternoon, we felt like we were finally getting in a vacation groove, and made some fun plans for the day. We started at the Living Museum, about 30 minutes from our place. It was a rainy day, so this was the perfect choice. The kids loved it all, from the dinosaur exhibit, to the awesome fish. It wasn’t all easy and fun, but by our standards, still a successful family outing. The kids ate a little lunch before we took off, and KC and I stopped at Hardees (blast from the past!) for some good, greasy food. We’d earned it. Onion rings, I’ve missed you! There was some snoozing in the car. We didn’t attempt a nap at home, but just a quiet time while we watched some shows. It was great.

I helped myself to some alone time, and went to Trader Joes, and Target. I got the kids some “backpacks” (lunchboxes), since Ruby was begging me for my “backpack” (make-up bag) every two seconds. Those held their art supplies and they were happy kids carrying those everywhere we went. 

We were going to go out to a Local favorite restaurant, but still being full from our naughty lunch, we decided to leave that to the next day, and went to the Outlet Mall .4 miles from our place. By that time, I noticed Ruby was starting to feel warm. The mall was crowed with Labor Day travelers, and we ended just going to the grocery store instead for more popsicles, and some meds for Ruby (which I meant to pack). Oh, and the Pepperidge Farm outlet next door for some great deals.

I truly enjoyed their early 6:30 pm bedtime because of the lack of naps. KC and I had some dinner and ate s’mores, and ice cream. Again, well earned after a long day. Ruby was up and HOT at 9:30. Her appetite wasn’t normal all day, and I was starting to feel like we better plan to head home in the morning. We didn’t hear from her again until about 4:30, and she slept more after that, but it was really hard to get her back to a normal temp, even on meds. So we did the practical thing, and packed everything up. We had some fun places to eat and play planned, but Ruby was a roller coaster, being happy and begging to “Go to a Restaurant?!” one minute, and crying as she was rolling around the floor the next. Just not herself. We did try to go to a quick diner on our way out of town. About 5 minutes after we sat down, we asked to get everything to go, Ruby was not well. We ate at a park, they played a minute, Alex had an accident, and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. We were done. I was spent. We started on our way home. Thank goodness Ruby slept a lot from the start, but was miserable the rest of the way. Alex was a champ at telling me when we needed to go potty, Bennett was an angel and hardly asked for a single thing, and we were home by early afternoon.

Some other high points were, the stereo shower as big as my kitchen I enjoyed daily, sometimes twice, the kids taking popsicle baths (they are deathly afraid of the jets!), hearing Alex call our condo “Beautiful Bed!” every time we drove up,  having KC with us all the time, the amazing biscuits and gravy, pancakes, hash brown, and corned-beef hash we got at the last minute, and the hilarious, darling kids we got to be with. We will take a few good memories from this trip, as hard as it was at times.

And, of course, here are more pictures.

While I was happy to be home, I felt like we had unfinished business. I would’ve planned things a lot differently, if I’d known how things would play out. We were hoping for at least one or two more days, even though the place was booked for the week. But I’m glad I followed my instincts, because KC took Ruby to the doctor that afternoon to find out she had Strep (as I mentioned before) and my poor girl was just miserable, as was I as I watched her suffer. I didn’t want to chance the rest of the gang getting sick while we were out of town.

So we’re calling it a good first try, I suppose. We are glad we played it safe by staying close, and making it low key. While we have traveled with them before, it’s always been with more adults, and to visit family, which is a lot different than a real, sight-seeing vacation. We know now, even more than before, to save the more adventurous vacations for a slightly older crew. These kids are just at a rough age, I tell you! Too young to understand disciplining, and incentives, but too old and aware of their surroundings to just stay put for any amount of time. I love my 2-year-old sweeties, but am really looking forward to the times when they are old enough for us to really have fun on these family outings, instead of just enduring them.

It’s been difficult to catch my breath since we got back with the sickness, and regular craziness that is always present. But after resuming boot camp, a fun book group with friends, a lot of alone time shopping on Saturday morning, a baby shower for a good friend who is having twins(!), where I met another mom of triplets and could’ve talked for hours with, (I think I was meant to see her that day—I was struggling with my stage of life, and she helped me to see the light, as her triplets are now 7), and then a HUGE rainstorm, which always puts me in a cozy content mood (when I left the shower, I got soaked to the skin on the way to the car, only to have KC call me to say that I should wait until the tornado warning had ended to attempt the 35 minute drive. I walked back into the shower, having gotten completely wet for nothing. Oh well, at least I got to chat a bit more and eat another cake ball), and a pizza picnic in a fort in the living room with the kids, I felt much more at ease. And then Sunday topped it off with the most beautiful weather. The Arboretum was calling my name, so we took the kids there in the afternoon to run free, and they were so happy. So were we when they went to bed without an argument. Please beautiful weather, please be here to stay so you can wear my kids out everyday!

Oh, and I MUST not forget to tell you about my new, completely adorable nephew, born to KC’s sister Michelle and her husband Cicso on Friday. Here’s little Marco! We love him already, and can’t wait to meet the little chunk someday.

So, a difficult week at least ended on a high note. We are looking forward to a fun week of my parents visiting, and a birthday party!! And let’s all just say how grateful we are that we all managed to dodge the Strep bullet. We were definitely being watched over on that one.

Ticking Time Bomb

You know when one person in the house gets Strep, and you just have to sit and wait for the ugly symptoms to plague the rest of the family? That’s what we’re doing at this very moment. Ruby is patient #1. Any guesses as to who’s up next? The worst part is, we should still be on our family vacation right now. When Ruby was up in the night with a 102 degree fever (on meds) we knew it was time to throw in the towel, for my own sanity, really. I’ll give you all the gory details on that bundle of fun later. For now, I’ll be nursing my family back to health. Let’s prays the antibiotics kick in quickly, and the doctor will just believe me when the boys get it (she really stressed out contagious it is, so I’m hoping she’s on my side here) and I don’t have to take them in to get her to call in more antibiotics.

Happy Labor Day everyone!