Merry Christmas to All!

Wow! This year has really flown by! And it was one for the books. I’m assuming that most of you reading this right now have been following what has been happening in our little crazy world, so a lot of what I’m about to say will be old news to you. But If you are coming from the little note at the bottom of our Christmas card, welcome! It’s great to have you here. Let me tell you what’s been going on with our family.

I didn’t get around to sending out a Christmas card last year. I tried, but I gave up on that pretty quickly. Probably because of the fact that we just brought home our sweet triplets from the hospital after a six-week stay in the NICU. So this year really started out with a bang with Alex, Bennett , and Ruby having just entered our lives. My mom came to help us out during those first few weeks at home while we got situated, when we realized more long-term help was necessary. So we decided, with the approval of our pediatrician, to spend a couple months in Utah during Christmas. I know it was crazy to bring three tiny babies on an airplane in the winter, but we were seriously desperate for some help. The babies had terrible reflux, and didn’t sleep well at all day or night. And with most of both of our families living in Utah, and excited to meet the babies, we knew there would be many willing helpers.  We were completely humbled by everyone that stepped up to take a night-shift, or help feed/hold babies during the day. That was when I started feeling human again. That newborn stage was a doozy. Thanks again to everyone who took time out of their lives to help us, both in Maryland and Utah. You’ll never know what that meant to us. We also blessed the babies while we had so many family member around. That was a day I have looked forward to for years, and it was worth the wait.

While in Utah, I enlisted my cousin Britney to come live with us in Maryland for a little while. With her, my mother-in-law Janice,  and other wonderful family visitors, we survived another couple of months (yes, it was all about survival), during which, we sleep-trained the babies. That truly changed my life. I had FREE TIME during the day! Something I thought was gone forever!  I started to feel like I could take this parenting triplets thing on.

In march we went to Utah again. It was a much different visit, with the babies sleeping through the night, and taking regular naps.  That was the extent of our traveling for the year, but I have to say, it was a lot more traveling than I had expected to do in my first year with triplets. I’m so glad we were able to spend time with our families so they could get to know the trio better.

We celebrated their first birthday in September. My mom, and KC’s parents were able to join us, along with some close friends of ours.  It’s amazing to me, how quickly the year passed us by. People always say the first year is the hardest. And although I’m sure  every stage has its challenges, I think those people are right. That first year was so crazy, at times I wondered how we would make it. But we did, with a lot of help and a lot of prayers. All the visitors from both sides of our family that have flown here have been incredibly helpful. Our parents have been so generous with their time , coming to stay with us several times this year. This birthday party was really a celebration for everyone that has been part of this adventure.

We are looking forward to a Christmas in Maryland this year. My sister Elise and her family are also living here, so we will have them to enjoy the holiday with as well. I can’t wait to celebrate with my little family and enjoy new traditions we’ll create together.  I’m so looking forward to the babies first big Christmas morning, and to see how their faces light up when they gaze upon the toys that magically appeared overnight. This will be a Christmas to remember.

It’s been an amazing year. We are completely in love with these babies of ours, and have  been fascinated watching them learn and grow. Though having triplets has presented its challenges, we feel like they are a huge blessing in our lives and are so honored to have been given the job of being their parents. God has blessed our family in more ways that we can count. We are so thankful to our Savior, Jesus Christ, for how he has watched over our family, and comforted us when it was most needed. This time of year is a great time to reflect on His love, although He is definitely in our everyday thoughts throughout the year. We can’t wait to teach the babies how much our Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ  love them.

May the love of Christ be in your Christmas thoughts this year. Merry Christmas to all!

And Bennett makes three.

Things were finally shaping up around here, and then Bennett woke up from his afternoon nap yesterday completely distraught. After holding him for a few minutes, I could feel the heat radiating from him. We left the other two with KC’s parents, and went to our favorite new weekend hangout, the urgent care. Sure enough, he had a fever of 101, though was sweet as can be. Along with an ear infection, the doctor also thought there was a possibility of Bronchitis. So we now have a third bottle of fluorescent pink Amoxicillin in the fridge. And Ruby just started sporting a lovely case of hives. Not too attractive. Must be allergic to the Amoxicillin like her mom. This is going to be a long winter.

Don't you love getting all these updates on the heath status of my family? Honestly, it's all that consumes my thoughts lately, so that's what your gonna get for now. Hopefully we can return to the jolly content this blog once knew very soon.

Too soon.

My mom left today. With her visits usually being closer to two months, than two weeks, I’m not ready for her to be gone yet. Especially since the babies are still sick. R and B seem to be significantly better lately, but Alex is still in the thick of it. He can’t sleep for more than a few minutes (if at all) unless he’s being held upright so he can breath a little easier. Seriously, both naps yesterday and today, and the entire night last night, someone was holding him. Of course, he didn’t get the best sleep even with all the holding, making him even more cranky than the sickness is already making him. (Oh, and I have become very familiar with a very handy tool. Lili said a friend highly recommends this nasal aspirator, and with so many leaky nostrils to keep track of, it seemed like a much better and faster option than the bulb syringe. Alex doesn’t like it one bit, but it gets the job done quickly.) Anyway, mom was a huge help with food prep, night shifts, and moral support. I was able to get out of the house a little, and even do some Christmas Shopping. I miss her terribly.

The good news is, KC’s parents are flying in on Friday. Hopefully the kids are all well and ready to play by then. But if they’re not, I’m sure Grandma and Grandpa Robinson won’t mind snuggling sick babies.

Now, three posts in a row without pictures would just be despicable. Let’s see what came off my camera today:

Ruby, sporting her favorite cheesy grin.

Modeling our favorite hat. The little point in the back goes up and down with every scoot.

Who doesn’t love changing out of their church clothes?

Little sick girl all ready for bed.

Bennett loves to sprawl out on the floor. We find him like this quite a lot lately.

I guess he didn’t’ like us reading over his shoulder.

This is what happens when you are in the middle of changing someone’s clothes, and someone else does something requiring your attention. He seemed to think it was funny.

Alex is doing a lot of this the past few days. So sad, but so snuggly.

We discovered he really likes to play the piano with his feet. Hey, whatever makes the kid happy these days. . .

We hopes he returns to his playful self very shortly!

This is one of their new favorite hangouts. When I am taking them somewhere, it takes a few trips to get everyone into the car. I love seeing them waiting excitedly for me at the door.

I hope that cheered things up a bit on this gloomy-as-of-late blog. Alex just finished up the best nap (only nap) he’s had in two or three days. Ah, things just may be looking up.

Two down. . .

KC and I took Alex to the urgent care on Sunday evening after we discovered his slight fever. Lovely. I suspected an ear infection, but looks like his throat is the culprit. No wonder he only took a 20 minute afternoon nap after crying for about 1 1/2 hours, even while on pain meds. But as far as urgent care experiences go, this wasn’t bad at all. We were the only people in the waiting room, and it was closing in about 30 minutes. Of course Alex was entertaining the staff, not acting sick in the least (thank you Tylenol). I’m sure he was a bright way to end a weekend workday during the cold and flu season. We also had a unusually quick time getting his antibiotic filled at the pharmacy next door. We were home in time to feed him and put them all to bed at the right time.

I take back what I said about the nights being okay, because for the past few days they’ve been a nightmare. I lose track of who I am up with, when, and how long I stay up. More often than not, as soon as I am drifting back to sleep someone is up again. My poor sick babies. I’ve learned to get things done during the hours they won’t let me sleep by cleaning the kitchen, or taking a ridiculously long showers. My bathroom has to be cleaned. I think I’ll put that on my list for 3 AM tomorrow. I might be going insane. I’ll keep you posted on that.

Okay Bennett, now it’s your turn. What have you got for us? We can’t wait to find out.

One of those weeks.

I’m tired. The triplets all came down with a never-ending nose drip, and awful sounding cough type thing. And when you have asthmatic babies like I do, this is always a lot more eventful of a sickness than it should be. Ruby decided to get the worst of it this round. She had a slight fever a few days ago that came and went within a few hours, so I was crossing my fingers that she was on the mend, and it would be over in a few more days. We also had to pull out the nebulizer which sometimes she would gladly sit like and angel for, and other times wouldn’t let me hold that mask on her face if her life depended on it (thank goodness for the quick inhaler for those times). Well, when Friday came along and she was still coughing until she was blue in the face (literally, the girl was gasping for air several times a day), not to mention hardly sleeping a wink during naps, I didn’t want to make a run to the ER during the weekend, so I took her into our wonderful pediatrician to confirm that she does have an ear infection and needs an oral steroid for her breathing. Poor little girl. The boys are also coughing here and there, but they never had a fever, and have been sleeping so well. In fact, we’ve only had a few bad nights all week, which is a lot better than I would’ve thought given the circumstances. It’s just completely brain rattling, listening to your child suffer as they fight a relentless cough all night. Needless to say, Ruby (and sometimes other certain jealous boys) has been getting some cuddle time in the wee hours, which is better for everyone.

With the roller coaster we’ve been on this week, I am exhausted. I don’t get much done during the day, because every moment without the babies is used to catch up on sleep, or to stay afloat on any household chores I can’t manage to touch while they’re awake. (I didn’t even get a chance to finish my book for my book group meeting on Wednesday, which is embarrassing, but I went anyway to hold cute new babies, and to enjoy good company and good treats.) Thank heavens for Mom. I don’t know how my mom plans her trips so well to help me out during these tough times, but their sicknesses have overlapped a couple of her trips, and as much of a bummer as it is to use up most of her time with sick babies, she sure is handy to have around during weeks like this.

I am ashamed to admit that having sick kids doesn’t bring out the best in me. I am always embarrassed at what I say, and how I act when I’m overtired and completely spent. I know it’s just something that will pass and we’ll be back to normal again soon, but I can only handle so much. With the worry, constant decision making, sleep deprivation and tired arms from holding heavy babies, I just get a little irritable. Can you blame me? Luckily they know just how to cheer me up with their cute faces. I’m sure they want to feel better even more than I want them to.

It seems like I've written a post or two almost identical to this one. I’m sure the winter is going to being a lot more weeks like this. Hopefully we manage to make it through this season of sickness in tact. Maybe we’ll hibernate like last winter, cause that was a blast.

The Stuffing was their favorite.

We had a very fun and filling Thanksgiving. It was great to have the Ribieras here to enjoy the feast with. And quite a different experience from last year. Even if last Thanksgiving did have its special moments and sweet memories, it was quite a relief to have my hands mostly free to make the food this year. Although, I do still have my hands quite full of babies, so we still simplified a little. Elise and I each had a share of the meal assigned to us, and around 4 pm, we all gathered ‘round the table for the delicious spread. The babies had plenty of options to choose from that they love, but I found out that they couldn’t get enough of the stuffing. I might have to keep that in supply all the time. After a post-eating lounge, the babies went to bed, and we had a great group of friends over for some games and pie. There was a lot of laughter and my belly was quite pleasantly full. Another year of good memories.

Now that the gates to the Christmas season are fully opened, I’ve had fun getting into the spirit of the lovely season. Last year was so stressful and crazy, I feel like Christmas just sort of passed me by without much thought about it. Almost like it was skipped or something. It was more about bouncing and feeding babies, and getting sleep whenever possible, rather than wrapping presents and trimming trees. Even watching Christmas movies was hard with constant interruptions.  My sweet, cuddly newborns were worth the absence of all the falderal, but now that they can enjoy all that this time of year has to offer too, I can see it being one of my most favorite Christmases yet! I wonder how they’ll react to what Santa brings them?

Elise and I enjoyed some mid-morning Black Friday shopping. I generally avoid shopping when I know it will be crowded, but I learned one year that if you go around 9 am, you really don’t hit that many crowds. It’s too late in the day for the all-nighters, and too early for the sleep-iners. We found some great deals, but didn’t go too crazy. It’s just fun to take in the Christmas cheer and listen to the music filling the air at one of my favorite outdoor malls.  

I’ve decked the halls with the few decorations I have. Our tradition of getting a real tree is going to have to skip a year or two. It is bound to be destroyed and /or have it’s falling needles choked on by wild children. So we opted for a fake tree placed higher than they can reach. I am sure it will make the season much more enjoyable for mommy, here. The top shelves were cleared for Christmas cards, and the bottoms shelves are reserved for gifts. It the perfect, little, out-of-reach nook to put everything. I’ll miss having a nice, full, fragrant tree lighting up our front window, but there will be more years for that. In the meantime, my delicious Balsam Ceaderwood candle will have to do. It’s kind of boring and unoriginal, but someday the kids can deck this tree out in all their cheesy, handmade ornaments.

I bought these stocking hooks after Christmas a couple years ago, in the hopes that we’d hang three stockings the next year: one for me, one for KC, and one for a baby (we were in the adoption process at that point). Little did I know that they would be used for three kids instead of one. I’m sure I would’ve been the happiest mom alive to have one child to hang a stocking for, so imagine my happiness now, having three stockings to fill with trinkets and toys. I am so in love with these three babies of mine, and can’t wait to enjoy this wonderful holiday with them.

Oh, and my mom is here! She got here on Friday. I keep forgetting to tell you! Elise and I are having so much fun with Nana Jan around for a couple weeks to join the never-ending baby party.

So, does this mean no more bum-scooting soon?

I can’t tell you how hard it was to capture this video. I probably took a week. She’d walk across the room, so I’d grab the camera to see if she’d do it again, and then she’d have nothing of it. Quite aggravating. This is the best we could do for now. (That’s Jeff and Lili helping me out. KC was in the other room with the boys.) She looks way too old for me.

I think we’ll let Ruby take over story time from now on.

How am I supposed to get any cooking done under these conditions?

It seems like Bennett gets gypped in the video area sometimes, so here’s his little spotlight. This was after I fed them their oatmeal at 6:30 this morning.

Happy Second First Birthday

When the babies were in the NICU, I learned the whole real age vs. adjusted age thing. One nurse told me that until about two years old, they will have two birthdays: their actual birthday, and their due date birthday. A couple months is quite a chunk of time when they are rapidly progressing infants, whereas when they’re older, that time hardly makes a difference.  It’s never bothered me much, and they are in a normal range, even with their early arrival, but it’s still always in the back of my mind that they aren’t doing what typical 14 1/2 month olds do. So that‘s why I like to celebrate their due date, since it justifies any delays they might have. And that date is TODAY! As I’m sure a lot of mothers can relate, this date was tattooed in my mind the entire pregnancy.  I knew they would be early, but I still knew that it would be a very important date. So even though they are already a year old, I want to highlight some of their collective and individual achievements/quirks for the record. I would’ve done this on their real birthday, but I was a bit busy, and now I have something to write about to celebrate this important day. Here are some of my current favorite things about each munchkin.

Alex

*He is definitely the comedian of the group, always doing something to intentionally make us laugh. He’s always been such a fat, happy baby.

*He can crawl like a madman, but I still find him army scooting on occasion, I guess he learned to love it while it was taking him a while to learn how to crawl.

*He talks quite a bit. I could list list his many words, but you get the idea.

*I love when we bring him into the bathroom for bath time. He kicks and squeals with such delight that I nearly drop him. And that’s before he’s even in the water.

*For such a big boy, he has quite a high squeal. Higher than his sister’s!

*During an occasional bad night, I’ll rock him, or lay with him on the couch. A couple times he’s fallen asleep, and I just lay there with him listening to him breath until the other wake up for the day. I never thought I’d do that, with how strict I am with sleep training, but I am so glad I broke the rules a few time to have those quiet moments with my boy.

Bennett

*He is my sensitive boy. He cries like it’s the end of the world when toys are stolen from him. But he cheers up quickly if you find the right thing to distract him

*I often hear him laughing during naptime. Even if he’s the only one awake, he still laughs to himself.

*He likes to snuggle. If I’m sitting on the floor, he’ll come sit in my lap. He also loves his little square blanket he sleeps with. I tried to avoid bringing it out of his crib, but he just loves carrying it (usually by his teeth) around the house. How could I say no?

*He’s a loud crawler, in that he loves smacking his hands on the ground as he moves about. And when he stops and sits up, he loves tapping his feet loudly on the floor. We love when he spins around in circles on his little bum over and over. All he needs is symbols and he looks like one of those show monkeys.

*He learned to give me “kisses” a while ago, and I can’t get enough of those  precious lips. It’s more of a lean, than an actual kiss, but I’ll take it!

Ruby

*Oh man, this girl is a little crazy child. She is everywhere. She needs constant entertainment, and in turn, constantly entertains us. That scoot of hers will never get old.

*She always wants my netbook, cell phone, or remote if she sees me using them. For some reason, she is usually the only one who is interested.

*She loves to read books. Well at least she thinks she is reading them as she speaks mostly gibberish while she looks at each page (video to come.) I love when she points out the “Da” (dog).

*She doesn’t let the boys push her around. She gets what she wants. But she is also pretty easy going. If they want a toy she is playing with, she simply moves along and finds finds something else.

*She WALKS! (More on this later.)

*When she lays her head on my shoulder as I walk her to the nursery, I always have a hard time laying her down. She just molds to me. The best feeling in the entire world.

 

As a whole, they are a very happy, very funny, very enthusiastic bunch. They are constantly making everyone around them chuckle. They play well together, but often get in tiffs over a certain objects (which are usually dumb things like a laundry basket, or a bulb syringe). They laugh at each other multiple times a day, and it often goes for minutes at a time until someone gets distracted a crawls to play with something else. They love their bottle straws, and still think sippy cups are more of a toy thank a drinking device. I am starting to see their necks as their baby bodies become more like toddlers. Even if they do get cuter by the day, watching them grow makes my heart ache a little. They love many different foods, and I love trying new things out on them. I’m not ashamed to say that they love the tv. Our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom dvd (a birthday present from cousins Juju and Gabe) is their latest favorite. No matter their mood, I just pop that in, and they are happy kids, dancing to the music. But don’t worry, the love books too. Unfortunately, they also love to destroy them, but they are always up for reading a story on our laps. They make a complete mess of the house in 10 seconds flat, and find new danger hazards ever day. They really keep me on my toes. Just the other day, the boys figured out that if Ruby held the swinging door to the kitchen (a place I haven’t baby-proofed yet) open long enough, they could squeeze in before it had a chance to close again. They are in cahoots!  Why is it that kids always want what they aren’t supposed to have? They love shopping with me, as long as I’m prepared witch snacks and toys. Some of my favorite moments alone with them are on our outings together.

I could got on forever, but I’ll just say that I absolutely love this stage. It’s hard and exhausting, I’ll admit, but watching them discover new things everyday is amazing and thrilling to me. There are so many little minds turning in this house, it’s hard to keep up with all their new skills. I can’t stop kissing their soft, chubby cheeks. Not one day goes by that I am not so thankful to have them here with me. As scary as it was to have tiny preemies, I almost  feel like I cheated the system, because I got to have little babies a little longer because of it. So this is to celebrate my two and a half months of bonus time I was able to spend with them. Happy due date, my loves!

Who DOESNT love the fall?

We live in a neighborhood completely immersed in old, tall trees. Who knows what these trees have seen over the centuries, being so close to the nation’s capitol. I love how the trees tower over the unique hoses and canopy every street. The colors are still amazingly bright, and have been for a few weeks. We’ve tried to take advantage of this anticipated time of year by spending the nicer days outside.

There is a gorgeous lake nearby, and one afternoon last week, I just needed to get out, so Elise and I took the kids for a brisk walk along the trail that surrounds it. It was just what I needed. I didn’t realize how much I was craving that cool fresh air, and a little exercise as well. It had been cold and wet for a while before that, so beautiful day was a very welcomed change. I enjoyed that walk so much, that the next day I asked some friends if they wanted to join us for a morning stroll. It was the most perfect, brisk day. Sweaters were stripped off with the sun being so warm. I hope there are more days like this before the really cold weather hits.

On Sunday, we found ourselves with another afternoon that needed to be filled with something productive and distracting to avoid fussy babies getting on our nerves. We all made our way to a neighborhood park, and had a blast. All the babies loved the swings for a while, but what they loved the most was being able to roam far and wide on the grass. Luckily there weren’t any acorns for me to swat out of their hands over and over. I could tell they were feeling a bit cooped up at home lately, so they needed this exercise and freedom to reboot. Again, the cool fresh air was so refreshing. I almost felt like a kid again as I was playfully chasing after the babies, and twirling them in the air. I loved their little red noses and cheeks. (And this time Alex is sporting blue. Sorry about the confusion. I’ll try to be more consistent in the future.)

It may look like I’m kicking my sweet Ruby in the face in the picture below, but this is not so. She is a few feet behind us, and we were well aware of her position while shooting this picture.

Thanks to Lili and Jeff for all the great pictures and videos that evening. It’s rare that I’m in pictures with my kiddies. And of course there are more if you want to take a gander.

When in doubt. . .

. . .buy milk. We go through a lot of it. And for some reason, I still find myself standing in front of the hundreds of gallons at the store wondering if I should get more, cause I already have some in the fridge. And then of course, I see that I’m running low on the stuff the next day. Right now I’m feeling somewhat stocked because I have three gallons of whole milk for the kids, and a gallon of skim milk for the parents. Is this really my fridge I’m looking into? I also bought three large bunches of bananas the other day. What? Wasn’t it just yesterday that our half gallon of milk would go sour before we could use it, and it was inevitable that I’d be making banana bread from the few overripe bananas that remained after buying only one small bunch? When will I stop being shocked to discover all these new changes?

I am often hit with moments like this, when I realize I am a real mom, with real kids. That I’m not just babysitting or playing house, but caring for and nurturing three little people. Does everyone have light bulb moments like this? My life has taken some HUGE turns from the childless time it once knew. I absolutely love this new life I’m living, it just takes getting used to, that’s all. And after a year, I have definitely been initiated into the mom club in several ways. The toys on the floor are starting to look like they’ve always been there, changing 12-15 diapers a day (about half of them being rather stinky) doesn’t phase me a bit , and the sink full of dishes, and constant loads of laundry have become normal to me. And really, waking up super early doesn’t seem all that bad anymore either. Kids really know how to train their parents, eh?

I can see some major changes happening in the coming months with walking being frighteningly around the corner (heaven help me, Ruby has already take a few shaky steps!). The mass amounts of bottles on the counters and the dishwasher have turned into colorful sippy cups (that unfortunately disassemble into more pieces than the bottles). Funny how much can change in a matter of weeks when it comes to kids. Bittersweet is definitely the word that comes to mind.

I must be  getting used to this, since I didn’t even have to think twice about buying three jumbo boxes of diapers a couple days ago. Definitely wouldn’t want to run out of those.

A Glimpse

This morning, thanks to the persistent time change confusion, we were up rather early with the boys. While Bennett went back to sleep, Alex would have nothing of it. Instead of letting him cry it out a while to see if there was even a chance of him getting a morning snooze (once he’s up, he likes to stay up), I decided not to fight him and have a nice quiet time with my big boy all to myself. We watched some quiet baby shows cuddled up on the couch, both dozing a little I’m sure. It was so nice to lie there with him without the obligation of changing someone else’s diaper, or filling an empty bottle, or stopping a fight, or preventing a disaster. It was just him and me, and nothing else to worry about. After a while I turned off the TV, hoping maybe he’d stay cuddled with me and we could get a little more sleep, but he just wiggled his way to the floor and proceeded to play as cheerfully as can be. I stayed sprawled on the couch, watching him through half-closed eyes. I just enjoyed observing  my sweet boy as he looked through books, and talked to himself. He’d crawl around the room, looking at books and playing with toys, occasionally stumbling upon his bottle he’d dropped earlier to take a few sips before dropping it again to play with something more interesting. He looked like he was having such a great time with everything all to himself. That doesn’t happen very often around here. I was able to watch him and play with him uninterrupted, and it really made me realize what I miss when I am looking in three different directions. Babies are just fascinating.

And even though I am sure he loved not having anything stolen from him, and having the undivided attention of his mom, he started to  look kinda lonely playing by himself. I was also lonely for my sweet babies sleeping away in the other room. There is definitely an empty feeling when one or two of them aren’t around. They can all be incredibly cute and entertaining on their own, but they do love each other, as anyone can tell, and have a unique bond. As silly as it is to ever wake a baby from a great night’s sleep, I was tempted to get my sweeties up to play with us. Not only because it’s always best when they’re on the same schedule, and we were going on an hour and a half past when Alex woke up, but also because I missed them, and it seemed like Alex did too. I have all this anxiety about eventually putting them in separate rooms, but I know they will have to split up at some point in the years to come. (The party during nap times sounds more fun every day. It’s frightening to think what will be going on in there when they aren’t in cribs anymore.) I just love to hear them laugh at each other, and enjoy each other’s company. It’s weird to think that first children usually don’t have this companionship.

As much as I loved getting a little heavenly glimpse of what it would be like with one baby to snuggle, I was so excited when I heard the little voices coming from the nursery telling me they were awake and ready to join the fun. I guess you could say that this morning, I had the best of both worlds.

So that’s how it feels.

I never knew what if felt like to have kids that occasionally slept in. I had heard it’s just wonderful. And this morning, I found out that it truly is. When I woke up to see the 7:00 looking at me from the nightstand, I really couldn’t believe my eyes. KC and I just laughed as we heard the giggles coming from the nursery. I had actually woken up an hour earlier, and was just as amazed that it was still quiet (it might sound crazy to you that I consider this an accomplishment, but 5 am is usually when they think it’s time to play), so imagine my excitement when I got another hour of sleep! Their nights have been a roller coaster as of late, with Alex waking up around 3 for a few nights in a row, sometimes keeping us up for a couple hours, and sometimes bringing others to the all night party, though they are pretty good at sleeping though each other’s cries for the most part. New teeth have been a part of it, but I also thought it might be time for a later bedtime. So we moved it back a half an hour a few days ago, and it has done wonders for us. They slept a whole extra hour the first day we tried it, and it just keeps getting better. And the night-wakings, have been short and sweet, if any at all. I am so glad to have had that inspiration before I started dropping naps. I need those two naps for as long as possible. I know this sleeping-in thing might not last, but when your three children all decide to sleep in on the same day, it is something to be remembered, and I’m going enjoy it, even if just for today.

And I think this blog is in need of an update:

Elise and I took the kids to Ikea a while ago. They loved the mashed potato and meatball kids meal. We definitely drew some looks from the crowd (remember how my kids can be kind of loud?), and made some friends too. The best part was they were nice and fed when we got home, so they went straight to naptime.

I bought this balloon for their birthday, and it seriously stayed afloat for two months. I wouldn’t have thought the price of $6.99 was that steep, had I known it would last so long. The babies loved playing with it while it was around. It was kind of sad to see it go.

I hosted book group this month. We read The Hunger Games (like every other book group), and I actually had some fun with the food. It’s not too often that I spend more that a few minutes in the kitchen for recreational purposes,  (I’m usually just cutting up grapes, or making oatmeal), so it was refreshing to cook just for the fun of it. There wasn’t as much of a crowd as I had anticipated, but I don’t hear any complaints from certain husbands that live here.  If you’ve read the books, you’d know the significance of the berries, the goat cheese, and the freshly baked bread.

We love our new Costco! Anything to make grocery shopping more exciting, eh?

It’s great that the van can fit everyone when Elise and I want to take the kids somewhere.

Fighting over toys as usual.

We ALL love when daddy comes home.

This picture is to get Elise back for all the ridiculous pictures of me she put on facebook.

Penny, cause she’s such a cute little munchkin.

We found out they love playing with my hat collection. Bennett makes a pretty handsome cowboy, is you ask me.

And why not a few videos:

Sorry Ruby, bum-scootin’ does’t works so well on the grass.

 

One of Elise’s favorite things to do with Alex.

 

They have been saying quite a few words lately, and this is Alex’s latest.