Sleep Training at it's Finest

1st of all, Cody is now 22 months old and Wednesday evening, he started running fever... yes, another sick child.  We've been giving him the normal course of Tylenol and Motrin and it's been low grade up until last night.  He woke at 1:30 crying so I went to check on him.  He was burning up with 103.6 fever, so I gave him Motrin and grabbed a lukewarm wash rag.  We sat on the sofa and I held him and sponged him all over.   He asked for a drink so we got some water and he downed it.  Then I held him a while longer, 45 minutes to be exact trying to cool him down.

He then said, "upstairs." 
Me:  "What Baby?  You want to go upstairs?  Do you wanna go lay down?"
Cody: "Yes."

I took him upstairs, laid him in his bed, he grabbed his cuddle dog rolled over and went to sleep.  Our kids understood from an early age that they have to sleep in their beds, but I've never had one ask to go to their bed.

Cody was up again at 4:30, but wasn't hot so I gave him a dose of Tylenol to get him through the night and laid him back down and he slept until I woke him this morning.

I want to say he is just sooooo smart, but this is the same baby I caught putting one of the triplets blankets in the toilet the other day.  I'll hold off on calling Mensa.

Here is a link to an old post regarding our sleep training process if anyone is interested.  I am up with sick kids from time to time, but they never come in our bed and if they can sleep comfortably in my arms, then they can sleep comfortably in their beds.  It was tough setting this expectation, but pays huge dividends today.

Pixel Perfect

Just a thought

The Last Day of School....

Well, the kids are enjoying their last day of school today.... I myself am trying to cherish the last morning for 3 months that I can enjoy quiet... I was afraid Jadon wasn't going to make it. I think he has an ear infection, so my guess is we will be at the clinic this afternoon. Never a dull moment. In fact, my Mom and I were talking this morning and for some reason things have gotten harder. Things never stay the same and we are drifting into some difficult territory. The other day, Cody was having a fit because he didn't want to get dressed, Addison was melting down over something (I don't recall), Jadon was trying to get my attention so he was pulling on my face trying to get me to make eye contact and listen to him... that was only 3 of the 4 kiddos. Right now, everything also seems to be a battle. If I ever said, "ok guys, lets go get our teeth brushed" without someone complaining or giving me a hard time, I swear I'd fall over from the shock!!! I keep holding out for 4... I've got it in my mind that things will get easier at 4!!! Of course, Cody will still only be 2.... whew.... "Dear Heavenly Father, Please give me the strength to cope with my blessings."

However....  I have to say, Kids grow up soooo fast....  Everyone tells you that and the typical response is "yea, they do... I know."  But, really, they grow up soooo fast.  I was talking to the triplets teachers from last year when they were 2 year old babies (Cody's age!!!) and now another year has already gone by.  I truly can't believe it!!!  I hurts my heart to know time is passing sooo quickly.

Mellow Yellow

This weeks theme at I Heart Faces is yellow.  I take TONS of pictures but of all my photos have 2 favorites and this is one of them....  Oh my, I do love my babies!!!!

Pixel Perfect

The picture below I took at a nearby park and thought it made for a fun edit.

The picture below I took trying to create some clean white background shots.  My 1st real attempt at staging a "photo shoot."  You can see more of these shots in my previous posts and in some upcoming posts so check back.  This photo is of Cody.  He spends most of his day carrying around his doggie blanket in his mouth.  His vocabulary is growing leaps and bounds and we are starting to get some sentences like "Here you go" from him.

Return to The Little Gym

Shortly after Cody was born, I enrolled the triplets in The Little Gym.  It was a favorite activity for a long time and a huge hit with the kids, but we eventually dropped it when the expense of Preschool and The Little Gym became too much.  Two days of school seemed like a better way to spend money, but to this day the kids remember "their gym."  Well, now Cody is almost 2 and today I signed them all up for a Summer semester at the Little Gym.  I'm sooo excited to see the triplets faces the 1st day we go back, because they really loved it and I'm soooo excited to see Cody take part for the 1st time.  It's GREAT to find an activity that they call all participate in!!!!  It's gonna be crazy trying to keep up with 4 kids, but this should definitely help pass the summer.

School is winding down, ugh!!

Ahhhh, just picked up the kids from school and they are all down for naps now. I had a great morning with my Mom just hanging out and talking. I swear the two of us can talk for hours and the same things over and over and love every minute of it. The kids only have two more days of school before summer and I am working to gear myself to giving up my two mornings a week. I just need to find lots of activities to keep us busy. I painted the girls fingernails and toe nails yesterday for the 1st time which they loved but poor Jadon was left out so we painted one toe on him.  Well, I'm off to nap myself before the next shift starts.... the dinner hour, ugh!!!

I Heart Faces & Flowers

This weeks theme at I heart Faces is Flowers. I always loved this picture of Cody waving at his Daddy in a sea of Bluebonnets. Head over to I heart faces and look at all the amazing photos.

SOLD!!!!

I guess the picture speaks for itself....  we sold our old house and closed today.  Woo Hoo!!!!  We moved yesterday so now our new home is fully furnished!!!!  I don't know why buying and selling houses always has to be a pain in the neck.  I feel like we have been nickeled and dimed to death by the evil Candice (the buyers agent).   Sloppy work on her part created confusion and frustration on everyone elses part.  Oh well, it's done and we are happy to be free of our old home, but sad to say goodbye given we welcomed 4 babies into that home.  When we 1st moved in, I sat in the room that would one day become a nursery and cried month after month because I wasn't getting pregnant....  Then came the pregnancy and 3 months of bedrest in our master bedroom....  then 3 little babies followed by another little one 21 months later.  That house holds a lot of memories.....  parting is such sweet sorrow.

Wild Weekend and School Photos

This weekend we celebrated my Mom's birthday (belated) & Mother's Day.  On Friday, GG came up and we went to dinner at Neals.  We eat out several nights a week, but recently have had bad luck at Neals with the kids.  They love the restaurant, but one night Addison got choked on a quarter (very scary), another night Kaylee fell out of her booster and took a plate of food with her, another night Addison was freaked out by a cross between a butterfly and a bee.  We aren't sure what the bug was but she freaked out.  Another night, Jadon with is very sensitive gag flex didn't like a bite, couldn't get it out of his mouth fast enough and threw up his chocolate milk on the table.  So, needless to say.... I was fearful.  We have been going to this restaurant since the triplets were 4 months old, we are known well and everyone has been very nice about it, but I was still fearful.  The night went fine and I was able to breath a sigh of relief.

On Saturday, we had a pool party at MawMaw and PawPaws house and had a GREAT time, until I lit the candles for the birthday cake.  From inside the house I heard Jadon's head hit the concrete outside.  The injury was ugly and very scary which took us to the ER....  after being check out, he is ok but has a nice bruise on the head....

Sunday we went to Church and to the Olive Garden afterwards.  Each child got their own entree (childs plate of course), but we typically get a couple dishes and make them all share.  Well, Jadon was overwhelmed that he got a "big plate" all to himself.  He didn't eat it, but he was sooooo excited.  Addison I swear scarfed down her spaghetti in two seconds flat!!!

It was a great weekend and I thank my parents for hosting!!!

The kids got their school pictures today so had to post them:  By the way, my photos are "clickable" again.  Click them once to bring up the http link then click them again to see them full size.
Here is the triplets (all dressed in red) class with Miss Heather and Miss Jeanette

Here is Cody's (blue striped shirt) class with Miss Claudette and Miss Sharon

The Swagger Wagon.....

Oh My!!!! We are a Sienna Van drivin' family and this is a riot!!!!

Blog Hop... Kaylee in bold B&W

Curling Up

I can't get over how long the girls hair has gotten. In the bath wet it's all the way down their backs and Addison's pigtails swing well below her shoulders. I remember the 1st time I put the girls hair in pigtails and the rubberbands barely held on. (I'll have to look for those early pictures.) Here is a shot of Kaylee's spectacular curls. You can't tell how long her hair is since it's piled high on top her head, but she has beautiful long ringlets. I love this photo!!!

Another Day...

Well,  I have a sick child again.... Cody.  Hopefully he will be well by Tuesday for school since May is the last month of school and I'm going to greatly miss my Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

The photo below.  Why do I love it???  Well, if you look in Addison's armpit you will notice a little freckle.  It was one of her 1st freckles and I just love it.  I'm so happy I was able to capture it on camera.  When she is 20, 30, 40, 50.... it will still be there and I'll remember it from when she was a baby.  Oh, the pose my Mom taught her... too cute.  My Mom is sick right now, so please say a pray for her.

Mrs. Claus spreads a little sunshine

Mrs. Claus at Like Christmas Every Single Day has truly made my day.

I blog almost every day and I do it for my kids.  Each year I turn our blog into a book and I have my favorite photos, stories, and emotions at the time all wrapped up in a nice neat package, but I often wonder if anyone out there ever reads our blog.  I do it for my kids, but I also want to share our lives with others and in return I involve myself in the blogs of others and their lives.  Blogs like Our Journey with Micro-Preemie Twins inspire me, blogs like The Peanut Gallery-Exit Here make me laugh, and photography at Life with the Lairds leaves me in awe.  Monica's blog hop at Pixel Perfert is something I look forward to every week and I've made many friends there.  I enjoy everyone's blogs as they all have something special to offer, so it made my day to learn that Mrs. Claus gave our blog a Sunshine Award.

"Tracy, Monica and MckMama are like "rock stars" in the blogging world. I love their photography and their wonderfully funny stories about their kids/lives! Thanks for sharing with all of us!!"
           ~ Mrs. Claus

The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blogging world.”
Of course, awards come with rules…
1. Put the logo on your blog and/or within your post.
2. Pass the award on to twelve bloggers.
3. Link to the nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and the link to the person from whom you received this award.

Now it's time for me to share the sunshine with those who inspire me....
Humor:
Julie @ The Peanut Gallery-Exit Here
3 Little Monkeys

Photography:
Life with the Lairds (she's received the award before, but she's one of my inspirations and favorite blogs)
4 Little Men and Girly Twins
A Moment in Time Photoblog
Birchtree Photography

Inspirational Strength:
Our Journey with Micro-Preemie Twins
Sweet Girlies or Brook of Sweet Girlies Story

Just Too Darn Cute:
The Great Umbrella Heist (also inspirational story w/cute pictures)
Grace's Groupies
It's Pronounced Kane (Also very funny!!)
The Cude Crew

Congratulations to all of you who inspire me! Now get out there and spread some sunshine of your own! Make someone's Day!