Three Peas and a Bean

She was bad??? Impossible....

2012-01-09T19:28:00.001-06:00

The girls are at dance class right now with their Daddy. Last week, Addison was apparently acting up (being silly and not listening) and got in a lot of trouble with her Daddy after class, so I hope she is behaving herself...

And this photo... me as a little girl...I never saw myself in Addison until this photo....

Another Day... A New Year

2012-01-01T20:27:00.003-06:00

We had an uneventful day.... I'm now the proud owner of a new set of tires on my minivan... whoo hoo ugh.... I hate spending money on stuff like that. We also purchased a new computer... once again uck... but I'm planning to start some educational programs with the kids and wanted them to have a machine so we bought the cheapest one we could find that fit the bill.

The highlight of the day was spending time with Addison.... this is the only photo I managed to get edited thus far.

Until Next Year

2011-12-31T20:04:00.001-06:00

Yes, we spent New Year's Eve in the backyard swimming and grilling hamburgers.... it's hard to believe it was in the mid-70's today and gorgeous!!! It's only 8:00 here right now and I can pretty much bet I won't see midnight.... so goodnight until next year.

Back to the North Pole

2011-12-29T16:24:00.001-06:00

I can't believe Christmas is over for another year... the gifts are unwrapped and have found homes within our home and now we work to get back to the daily grind.

My Mom always works to make sure Christmas is magical and she does it with such style. Her home looks like a magazine and the food is always divine. Our family (and my brother's) always Christmas at my parents house. I'm not sure it would really feel like Christmas anywhere else.

The kids are so fun and it really made me sad to put up "tattle" (our elf on the shelf) because I don't know how much longer they will wake up excited to see his new landing spot or caper. This year he stole candy canes, played in the hair bows, and stole Jadon's chocolate milk. I don't know how much longer they will believe Santa is the one eating the milk and cookies or they will watch out the window trying to spot Santa flying through the air.

As they say, enjoy and savor the moment because they go by sooooo quickly.

We tried to extend Christmas a bit by driving up to Christmas Wonderland near College station last night (yes, after the holiday to avoid the mad crowds) and had a blast. We thanked Santa for our gifts given this is where he relaxes before heading back to the North Pole to start making toys again. We played in the snow (fake)... and took a hayride through the lighted wonderland. FUN FUN....

We got home about 10 p.m. and found Cody was running 104.5 fever.... needless to say we were up throughout the night combating his fever. I took him to the ped this morning and it's a virus which has to run it's course. He does seem better today, so fingers are crossed.

I didn't take a TON of pictures because it's really hard to play photographer and still be a real part of the mix and I'd rather be part of things than photographing them... but here are some quick snaps....

My nephew Lane who is the sweetest little doll ever!!

Yes.... We are very into Star Wars.... the light sabers where a TOTAL HIT!!!

The girls with their Paw Paw who made them doll cradles... someday these will go to my girls daughters.... so special!!

The tether ball is going to take a little practice. Kaylee's 1st instinct was to try and sit on the ball.

Another item requiring some practice....

About half way into opening gifts Addison got very quiet... she had asked Santa for a doll house and was beginning to worry it was one of the items he had left off the list. My parents got her the house and she showed her thanks with the biggest heart felt hug...

So, as you can see the blessings overflowed and I look forward to another year with my children and wonderful husband and I thank you... Mom, Dad, GG, David, Kerri, and Lane for another wonderful family Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to All...

2011-12-21T07:05:00.002-06:00

I love the Christmas season... I mean really love... but with it comes chaos and a lot of work. The Christmas cards are out and the gifts are bought (most are now wrapped) so I thought I'd take a quick breather and wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas. Be safe!!!

Blessings to all!!!
Tracy

They Could Have Danced All Night

2011-12-18T15:02:00.001-06:00

Saturday, the girls had their 3rd dance recital and their last dance as part of the princess series. They now graduate to the 5/6 Combo Dance Class which may I add is more expensive. We now have to purchase costumes etc.... Oh well... seeing them dance just makes it all worth while. The girls did an outstanding job and I was there as usual trying to document it all toting video and digital camera...

I am sooooo very proud of you girls!!!!

Roughing It

2011-12-09T16:18:00.002-06:00

Ok, I'm always busy around the holiday's... but holy cow. If Santa really did it all.... wouldn't that be nice.

Just a few things.... Thanksgiving was super fun but I think the highlight (thanks to my husband) was the camping trip. Where did we camp you might ask... Well, we camped out under the cover of our outdoor kitchen in the backyard. We watched a movie on the TV, got drinks out of the fridge, and had shelter from the rain which came during the night. Roughing it for sure.... This was my kind of camping.

We had the kids cots and a king size trundle mattress for us all in the monster sized tent. I really didn't think I'd make it through the night and fully expected to go in the house at some point, but I slept great. We told scary stories and then watched Shrek on TV (told you it was rough - ha). I thought Jerry was CRAZY when he said he wanted to camp out in the back yard... but a good time was had by all. Thanks honey... you were right.

No Description Needed

2011-11-28T21:44:00.001-06:00

This is without question one of my favorite posts ever!!

Ho Ho Ho....Let it Snow!!

2011-11-26T14:39:00.001-06:00

Last Tuesday, it seemed like a good time to load up the kids so they could take their Xmas lists to Santa and I could get a picture of them all. I opted not to take my camera and just purchase the photos taken by the "pros"... well, perhaps I should have taken my camera since the photos I purchased were very low resolution and the color balance was WAY off.... my kids were purple. You can visit the Shabby Jack blog for the before shot. This is after my "fixes" which are still weak given the poor quality I had to start off with.

Regardless of the photos, the experience was nothing but fabulous. We've done this every year, but this year they changed this up a bit. 1st, they made it snow in the mall!!! Before Santa's arrival the snow machines on the second floor started and down came soft real looking foam snow that gathered in our hair for a while before melting. It was BEAUTIFUL and smelled lovely.

Then Santa showed up in his red pants, boots, undershirt, and suspenders. He was a splendid Santa with personality to match!! He started on the second floor with his arrival announced with sleigh bells before coming down the escalator to join the kids. It was truly a magical moment which left us all smiling.

I helped the kids make lists the night before and they showed Santa what they wanted... no rush, no hurry... he was wonderful with them!!

THANKS, Santa!!!

Kee Yah!!

2011-11-22T16:13:00.001-06:00

Jadon recently started Karate. Only Jadon... We had the option of signing up two kids and the other two get to go for free, but I really wanted Jadon to have something he didn't have to share with the girls. I contemplated signing up Cody, but 4 kids doing activities gets very expensive and he is still so young. I'm sure we will sign him up when he turns 4.

I can't put into words how much Jadon LOVES Karate. I have to say the other kids can get a bit out of control, but Jadon is AWESOME. He can generally get pretty silly, but in class he honestly doesn't let the other kids influence his behavior and takes pride in being good. He also knows if he's good and sits up straight, he will get called on first for activities.

Being my loving soft spoken boy... I love the pride and confidence which is growing by leaps and bounds with this program. "You Go Boy"!!!!!

A Couple of First

2011-11-14T12:00:00.001-06:00

The kids had their 1st dental visit last week. I had asked if it would be better to bring them all in at different times, but they said it wasn't necessary and I could bring them all at once. Well, let me just say... they have a slick operation going.... great play areas while waiting, 4 cleaning chairs manned with super friendly ladies to clean the teeth, dental x-rays right there, and another play room...

We had one getting x-rays while the 3 were getting cleaned and it just rotated from there. As they finished up, they moved on the play area until everyone was done!!! Then it was a quick check by the dentist and we were out the door with prizes in hand... WOW!!!

The facility was top notch and the kids did a PHENOMENAL job... no fussing or fears... they hopped up and opened up. They LOVED it!!! They were given a clean bill of health and were sent home happy for another 6 months.

The other 1st???? I took pictures with my phone.... nope, never done that before.... can't say they turned out great... but I was able to capture our 1st trip to the dentist.

Halloween Recap....

2011-11-03T13:45:00.002-05:00

Each year I am sooooo excited for Halloween and dressing up the kids and every year I am soooo happy to see it gone for another year.

On Wednesday, the kids had their Halloween parties at school which started with a costume parade in the morning and parties in the afternoon. This was the 1st time they got to wear their costumes and we were all excited. I found myself running between classrooms during the parties, but spent more time in Cody's class since I was in charge of games in his class.

Thursday night, the girls got to wear their costumes to dance class, so I once again suited them up and did the senorita and Belle hair do's. Kaylee is just not happy unless she has a bun like Belle.

Then Saturday night, after celebrating my birthday (and Jerry getting up at 4:30 in the morning to sell our triplet strollers at the Mom's of Multiples garage sale), we once again put the kids in costumes for the neighborhood Halloween party. I thought it was freezing, but Kaylee went the entire night w/o a jacket...

Finally, on Monday... we dressed for the last time and went trick or treating. It was a bit warmer and no one wanted to wear a jacket. The triplets were TOTALLY into the trick or treating and Cody was right there with them although he just kept falling.... On his 4th fall he cried out, "Oh no, not again..." which is his latest thing he likes to say right now (too much time with Addison perhaps).

The costumes are now in the dress up basket and we are continuing to catch up on our rest... at least for the next few weeks until we start dragging out all of Christmas.

Here are our costumes... Kaylee loves to pose and I get tons of great shots of her on a regular basis, but this wasn't our best... Addison always makes funny faces while posing, but doesn't realize it. Jadon just moves constantly and Cody does ok.... so out of a hand full of shots... these were the best of the lot.

5

2011-10-27T13:42:00.000-05:00

"Oh my gosh, oh baby...." These were the 1st words uttered by my husband Jerry upon seeing Addison for the 1st time as she was being delivered and within a minute later we welcome Kaylee and then Jadon.

Kaylee was suppose to come last, but when the second baby was delivered our doctor said, "oh, I think I got the little one" and I joked that the last baby better be a boy. When Jadon was delivered I heard Dr. Kirshon say, "this one is going to need oxygen."

The delivery was a blur... but this is some of what I remember..

And I remember holding one of my babies for the 1st time. They brought me Kaylee, our smallest at 3 lbs, before taking them all to the NICU and laid her across my chest. She was nothing like I had imagined... Her eyes were wide open and so big on that little bitty head that she almost looked like a little baby monkey (in a good way)... adorable... but she was so small and hadn't grown into her features that I just remember those big eyes looking at me. Then, I started to feel ill from the epidural so they rushed all the babies away to the NICU.

Addison came 1st and weighed in at 3lb 13oz and required the most oxygen and she just kinda moaned repeatedly for a while. We were not able to hold her for several days which broke my heart, but we changed her diaper, stroked her, and let her know we were there. Once we could hold her, she would study us with a frown on her face and very untrusting look. I'd talk to her... "What are looking at silly girl... I'm your Mommy... you better get used to this face" and I'd sing....

Kaylee never required oxygen and came out of the womb funny and smiling... they say it's just gas, but I'm seriously not sure... she smiled upon entry to the world and she continues to be the happiest of the kids. She got the most hold time in the NICU being the healthiest and her feed time was during visiting hours. I think she got the most "home video" time as well when I watch them back.

Jadon was last at 4lbs and needed a little oxygen early on, but came off it quicker than Addison. He was mister laid back. He slept on his back with his arms behind his head and seemed just as relaxed as could be. I thought we'd never get to know each other because he was always asleep. I also thought he looked just like his Daddy at birth and now I don't see that all, not that he looks like me either. He has always been the snuggler of the bunch.

and now.... those tiny babies are 5 years old... oh, how my world has changed and how my heart has changed.

I recently watched Private Practice (comes on after Greys Anatomy) and Addison Shepherd is talking to someone at the end of the show. The conversation went something like this....

"When a woman has a baby whether it's a girl or a boy, healthy or sick, lives moments or years that women is forever changed. Every cell of her being is forever changed... she is forever a Mom."

I am forever changed... I will always love so much it hurts, I will forever worry about everything from coughs to cars, I will forever want more for someone else than for myself.... I am a Mom.

Happy Birthday Addison, Kaylee, Jadon and a because we let him pretend it's was his birthday too... Cody. You have forever changed my life for the better. I love you!!

This year I made the kids their own individual cake and let them pick the theme:

A Week in Review....

2011-10-20T16:56:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, the girls danced in their second ballet recital. In the last recital they danced as Sleeping Beauty and this time they were Snow White and I have to say the were MUCH MUCH better. In fact, I think Addison was the best one in the show with Kaylee as close second. Kaylee just lost focus a few times, but she knew the dance and did a fantastic job as well. It was a real treat to see it live since Jerry and I had to be out of town for their 1st performance and had to watch it on video upon returning home.

Addison was sick the morning of the dance and we had illnesses throughout the weekend to include vomiting, but it was short lived and we are all healthy again.

On Monday, Cody attended his 1st school field trip. Jerry took off work and we took him to the Oil Ranch (where the triplets went last year). It was good spending a little time with his class and his teachers and he felt soooo special to have this time without the triplets. He got to ride a horse, play in hay piles... we rode a train and a hayride and did several other things. It was hot!! But a good time was had by all and he fell asleep on the way home.

A Texas Disappointment...

2011-10-14T15:01:00.000-05:00

I am a UT girl and my husband is a Die Hard OU boy...

Well, our football teams took to the field on Saturday and we and several of our friends gathered in the backyard to watch the game and let the kids swim. It was clear from the beginning, Texas couldn't keep up and they ultimately caved to the OU team. Jerry was overjoyed, while my Dad and I ate crow once again. oh well...

The kids however had a great time with new friends. We had a total of 11 kids in the pool at one time and a few adults leading the play (myself included). Jadon is a Texas boy (always on his Mommy's team) and Addison is OU all the way. The other two flip flop in their team loyalty. The day ended after everyone had left upstairs on the sofa with us all sleeping to The Last Unicorn on the TV. Exhausted.

Monday was a holiday and I had my 1st senior shoot... FUN!! I'm still editing photos, but will be posting them soon on Shabby Jack. Super handsome young man with a cute as can be girlfriend.

Wednesday, the triplets had a field trip which my Dad and I attended. It was a play at a children's theater. Diary of a Worm, a Spider and a Fly. Very cute. I wasn't sure how much the kids were catching from the plot... but when they later told Jerry about the show, it was clear they didn't miss much.

Also, this week, I am mourning the loss of our Garden Ridge Pottery store which was engulfed in fire the other day. Oh, I loved that store. It's where I bought these awesome masks.... Here are the rest of the mask pictures. I used a mask picture of Kaylee over at Photoshop Friday if you want to see a before and after.

Boo!

2011-10-06T13:59:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted here... it's just been (as always) busy.

This past weekend we did manage to get Halloween costumes purchased and yes, it was hard... but I let them pick out their own costumes. We started at a store which is strictly Halloween stuff, but found the costumes starting at $50... well, with 4 kids I'm just not about to spend $200 on costumes (especially with preschool, dance, and karate class expenses to contend with). So, we headed over to Party City which is a party store with some costumes (lesser quality but less expensive) and each child picked a costume.

We walked out of the store with me feeling a bit disappointed. In past years, the kids have just been ADORABLE and the costume quality pretty good. I felt like we were walking out with nothing special... but the kids were happy so I let it go.

Well, we got home and tried on the costumes and they looked precious and they are SOOOOO happy to have picked it out on their own... so I am thrilled for them...

We have a Spanish Dancer (Addison), Belle (Kaylee), Red Ranger Power Ranger (Jadon), and a Football player (Cody) and they all look cute as can be.

Onto pictures... I was over at Garden Ridge Pottery and they had the neatest masks... my mind went straight to photos. So, last night I grabbed the girls and walked them over to some nearby trees for pictures with the masks. I only got 3 edited thus far... but really wanted to get a post in today. I'll post the rest soon. I wouldn't really call these portraits... but Mommy just having some fun with props.

Catching Up...

2011-09-26T11:53:00.000-05:00

First, thanks to everyone for your kind words, support, and Facebook 'likes' on the new venture. Your support has made stepping out of my photography closet much easier. Now, this blog can truly focus on documenting life with my kids (with photos of course).

In trying to keep up with two blogs... I realized I had failed to post some pictures of the kids on this blog, so I'm playing a little catch up.

Oh, I also want to note (for when they are twenty)... that their Mom fixed pork tenderloin with raspberry chipolte sauce, potatoes au gratin, caesar pasta salad, and mozzarella garlic bread for dinner the other night and that meal was called "yucky." Fortunately, their Dad thought otherwise and scarfed most of it down. Someday, they will be in college eating Ramen Noodles and wishing for Mom's cooking... I hope....

Gearing Up for Halloween...

2011-09-20T13:14:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness... the stores are stocked with the Halloween stuff and even Christmas YIKES!!! So the kids have been asking a lot about what they are going to be this year...

In 2010, we sported Wizard Of Oz costumes. Fortunately, there was no fighting over who was going to be Dorothy because Addison wanted to be the witch. Dear hubby wore the Heart of the Tin Man to make sure he was represented (the witch is holding it below)

In 2009, we were our own little zoo... Oh my...

And in 2008, I had two lady bugs, a bumble bee and our new little flower.

I've always put so much thought into the costumes and have always sported a theme... so this year???? Believe it or not, Mom is going to relinquish control and let them choose their own costumes... so who knows. Even I don't know what they will be yet!!!

I Heart Faces - A Touch Of Sun

2011-09-19T15:14:00.001-05:00

For those of you who follow my blog, you know this little beauty doesn't belong to me, but I thought this photo taken last night was just too cute not to use in this week's challenge. I love her look... she's looks like she's hot with her suitcase in the sun waiting for something to happen... There is a story behind this photo which I will be sharing soon....

Ramblings...

2011-09-17T21:01:00.000-05:00

Aaaaawwwww, husband is upstairs watching football, the kids are in bed and I am enjoying a moment of quiet.

Now that school has started and I've taken on the project of redecorating our living room, I've been busier than usual and really really extra tired lately. As I've mentioned in earlier posts I have Hashimoto Disease and can have off days, but I've really had some rough days recently. I had an appointment to check my thyroid levels last week and all was good, so I've just been trying to get some extra rest. Jerry has been feeling extra tired lately as well, so maybe it's something in the water?

As mentioned, I'm redecorating the living room and have been stressed beyond words. My Mom & brother got all the decorating talent really and they enjoy it. Me... I can kinda pull a room together but I don't enjoy it... furniture isn't returnable... so this has me totally stressed out. I finally committed to my 1st purchase and bought a dark leather studded sectional... It's huge but is the best seating option for a family of six with grandparents and friends over all the time. Now, I have to start decorating around it YUCK. I much rather take pictures!!

Ok, I said pictures so it's time to share.

In a previous post I told you Kaylee saw a jellyfish on the beach and picked it up. It didn't sting her but FREAKED her out. Seeing her freak out in turn FREAKED Cody out. He was afraid of everything for a while after that. I love this picture of Cody with my Mom. 1st, he's showing off a little crack which I think is adorable, but he was afraid of the seaweed, so my Mom was showing him the seaweed doesn't hurt. She put a "baby" seaweed on her leg. You can see in his face he still isn't convinced.

Black & White Wednesday

2011-09-14T17:03:00.002-05:00

Live Life my Sweet Babies

2011-09-14T15:48:00.000-05:00

Are You Ready for Some Football?

2011-09-13T15:39:00.003-05:00

My husband loves football and he has given up virtually all football since the triplets were born. He still records the OU football games and watches them after the kids go to bed, but he understands and embraces the fact that the kids/family come 1st and never complains.

So when he came home last week and said a friend of his daughter works with her high schools' football team and has to attend all the games, he told me he got the details and thought it would be fun for us to attend. Fun??? I have to say I jokingly gave him a hard time and thought he had over romanticized the idea, but how could I refuse when he gives so much to us daily.

The game was about 45 minutes from the house and I had fears of us on the road after dark, I was afraid of the crowds with 4 little ones, and I was afraid of steep bleachers, but my fears were unwarranted. The drive still scared me a bit, but since we were on the visitor side the crowds weren't bad and the bleachers weren't too steep.

What shocked me was the kids attention span. I thought we'd leave no later than half time... but we stayed the entire game, not getting home until 11:00 at night. The latest the kids have EVER been up since birth. They had a BLAST and even I enjoyed it... watching the teenagers and flash forwarding in my mind (YIKES) and chatting with Loretta. The home team had a blow up tiger that the football players ran through and it "breathed smoke." Cody still talks about that tiger today.

I don't know that this will become a weekly outing for us, but I have a feeling that wasn't our last game.

For my Brother

2011-09-11T20:02:00.000-05:00

This is my brother and nephew... yea, pretty cute huh??? I took this on vacation at a local "market." Yea, you think this little guy loves his Daddy or what????

Love you both... give that little man some kisses from his Auntie Tracy!!!

Rapunzel... Don't Cut Your Hair!!!

2011-09-09T16:22:00.000-05:00

While on vacation, my sister-in-law gave the girls their 1st official haircuts. When they were little I would trim their bangs, but now their hair is all one length and MEGA LONG!!! So, is it short now????

Not a chance... I have a couple inches at most tucked away in remembrance bags, but they are now free of the broken ends. It's funny because when I told them they were going to get their hair cut they were SUPER excited and asked about it daily prior to the vacation. But when the time came, they both got very quiet and unsure of the process.

My sister-in-law is a highly sought after stylist and it was a privilege for me to have her give her nieces their 1st haircut. Thanks Kerri!! Love you girl!! I'm not sure she will ever want to give them haircuts again though. She had Me (Mom), Grandma, and Great Grandma... hovering over her cringing with every snip. No pressure. HA!!

The next day, Kerri french braided their hair and I put flower bows in the braid... it was their "Rapunzel" hairstyle.

Got Homework?

2011-09-08T16:39:00.000-05:00

Got Homework? We do!!!

Today we completed a homework assignment for the triplets. Of course, we also did one for Cody so he didn't feel left out (made a photo copy for him). The assignment entailed decorating a silhouette (looked like a gingerbread man) to represent you. We could use all kinds of craft materials and the goal was to focus on self awareness. After a trip to Walmart for a few supplies we headed over to my parents house to complete the task. My Mom is queen of all things crafty and has supplies galore.

I have to say I am overwhelmingly proud of my kids. The imaginations never cease to amaze me. We used photos for their faces, yarn for hair, and cut clothes out of construction paper. Each child got to pick the color of their clothes and cut them out and paste them on. Then they got to decorate their pictures. The girls added buttons, ribbons, and gems while the boys (Jadon to be more specific) added buttons and a belt. Jadon had some flag stickers so he put them on the page and drew lines to his hands (they were the sticks to hold the flags). The girls had flower stickers and put them in their hands. They used gems for earrings (although their ears are not pierced) and Addison put a sticker hat on her picture. They are amazing!!!

Overall, the task was FUN but hectic. Most mothers got to do this project one-on-one with their munchkin. Doing a task like this with four is messy, loud, and crazy busy... but with my Mom's help... we got it done in Rock Star Fashion!!!

So proud of you kiddos!!!... Ok, I broke down and took pictures of their projects... this blog is their diary after all.

Kaylee

Addison

Jadon

Cody

Blah, Blah, Blah..... oh, and the 1st day of school

2011-09-06T15:47:00.000-05:00

Goodness, I've let too much time pass and now vacation seems like a distant memory and not current enough for blogging. All in all, we had a fantastic time with friends and family and we look forward to next year.

What also seems like a distant memory and it's only been a week was the 1st day of school. This year we decided to switch from Tues/Thurs to M/W/F. The kids go Mon and Wed from 9 to 1 and Friday from 9 to noon. So, Friday is now officially grocery store day. By the time I get the groceries, get home, put them up and get the kids lunches ready (I'm making lunch sacks they can eat in the car on the way home Fridays), it's about time to pick them up. I'm looking forward to another morning a week to get stuff done or just rest.

The kids had no problem transitioning back to school. They are all pretty outgoing and love school so the 1st day went pretty well. Cody unfortunately spent some time in 'time out' his 1st day. He now gets to play on the big kid playground, but was told to stay off the HOT slides. He didn't want to listen, so he was timed out. Fortunately, he didn't have any issues the next day. He also mentioned his new friends were mean.... not sure what that was about and it hasn't come up since. Cody actually plays really well with other kids (despite some fighting with his siblings), but he is one of the youngest in his class and some of the other kids seem MUCH older.... so maybe that played into it???? I am optimistic this was all a one time thing and all will go well.

Ok, while the beach blogging is over... the photos I'm afraid are not....

Date Night

2011-09-02T16:09:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhh... it's Friday.... and I have a date. Yes, husband and I are going to a MOVIE tonight and dinner.... yea, I'm so excited. I can't remember hardly the last time we watched a movie in a theater, so I'm really looking forward to the escape into a cool dark theater and wrapping my brain around a movie plot.

Oh my, dear husband is home early... gotta go, so I leave you with a few pictures of the Beach Boys.

Some Like it Hot

2011-08-31T16:37:00.001-05:00

Last year while on vacation we took a ferry ride which was soooo much fun. We saw dolphin, pelicans, and the water splashed over the front of the boat eliciting giggles, so we thought we'd do it again...

Sometimes, things just don't work out the same. Don't get me wrong, we had fun... but it was HOT!!!! There was no wind and therefore, no water splashing us. Just the sun beating down. There was a breeze on the way over which was nice, but the ride back was just plain hot and poor little Cody just can't handle heat. He turns red in the face and I therefore carried his entire 35 pounds back to the car when the ride was over.

After departing the boat we changed our lunch plans from an outside patio to inside air conditioning....

Photo of the Day

2011-08-31T06:48:00.000-05:00

School officially starts today although we had "Parent Orientation" on Monday night and meet the teachers yesterday morning... so I have been crazy busy and unfortunately haven't had much time to blog or work on editing photos, but I did manage to get one edited last night. The beach house has some amazing glass block windows pictured with Cody above.

Ok, more vacation and school news coming soon... I hope...

Bugs and the Beach

2011-08-29T13:29:00.000-05:00

The kids who cried wolf...

In my last vacation post I mentioned that our trip went off without injuries, stings or bites, but then remembered we did have some bites. Between the house and the sand there is a yard which is infested with ant beds. As long as you keep walking and don't stand in a bed, no problem and Jadon who is terrified of the ants always insists on having his hand held when walking across the grass.

One evening I was back at the house and Jadon was all upset that he had stepped in an ant bed. My assumption was that no one held his hand, so he was freaked out at the thought of ant bites. His feet were covered in sand and all looked ok... so I brushed off his tears and told him he was ok. In the shower as we cleaned off his feet... lo and beyond.... ant bites. Poor little man.... I feel like a terrible mother for not believing him, but in my defense the tears over minor things flow constantly in our home.....

Once the bites were discovered, he got tons of "poor babies" and kisses from Mommy....

I Heart Faces - White

2011-08-29T07:10:00.000-05:00

Bottom's Up

I'm taking a short break from vacation beach pics to share a little I Heart Faces love. This week it can't be black and white and it must showcase white. How's about a little white bum????

Family

2011-08-28T21:03:00.000-05:00

To my husband, children, parents, grandmother, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew... I love you all and am so happy to be able to spend this time with each and every one of you.

Swimmers Beware - More Vacation

2011-08-26T15:58:00.001-05:00

As mentioned previously, we spent most mornings doing activities (the aquarium, the Ferry boat, the local market street, Church, and 3 & 4D mini movies), but every evening we spent on the beach. This year I wasn't quite as obnoxious with the camera (at least I don't think so). I felt much more confident this year and didn't obsess over getting the "perfect" picture. I just had fun and in return got some good pictures which I'll share (and some not so great which I'll also share).

One day early in the week on the beach, my Mom and I were laying in the surf when Kaylee walked up:
Kaylee: "What's this"? touching it
Me: "Kaylee, NO!!!! That's a jellyfish... it will sting you."

Kaylee knew they stung people because Hawkins from her class at school told her about getting stung by a jellyfish.

Kaylee: "SCREAMING" and rubbing her legs
Cody: "SCREAMING... it gunna sting me" and rubbing his legs.

Now, the jellyfish was dead and no one got stung, but the psychological damage was not soon overcome. It took a while to convince them they had not been stung and then convince them that the jellyfish was in fact dead. For several days Cody freaked out over everything from seaweed to sticks, but by the end of the week he was ok and it honestly didn't impair the fun and playing.

I'm glad to report we did not see anymore jellyfish the remainder of the week. Our last day we did see a man-o-war (I think that's what they are called) which actually much worse than jellyfish, but we survived the week with no injuries, stings, or bites. OOPS, rewind... we did have some bites....more later.

Cody's Well Child - 3 years

2011-08-26T15:15:00.000-05:00

Ok, you were probably expecting more vacation, but my kids well child visits trump vacation, so this comes 1st....

Well, Cody had his well child this morning and it was a piece of cake. The three year well child is such a breeze. Essentially, they looked him over and asked a few questions. No shots. They also confirmed what I already knew, we are raising a football player.

Here are all the kids stats at 3 Years - you can see what a bruiser my baby Cody is:
WEIGHT
Addison 28lbs
Kaylee 25lbs 12oz
Jadon 28lbs 4oz
Cody 36 lbs 12oz

HEIGHT
Addison 37.75
Kaylee 37
Jadon 37.75
Cody 39.25

WEIGHT %
Addison 21st
Kaylee 5th
Jadon 14th
Cody 88th

HEIGHT%
Addison 66th
Kaylee 47th
Jadon 56th
Cody 82nd

The nurse and the doctor both loved him because he is not shy at all and is all personality. He'd high five, chit chat and do what ever they wanted with a laugh. Adorable!!!! While he can challenge me at home and is a hand full I must admit, he always makes me proud when out and about... he was good as gold this morning and is getting to be such a little man. (I LOVE you BABY)!!!!

Life's A Beach

2011-08-26T07:03:00.000-05:00

Thought I'd share a quick pic before getting the day started. Cody goes to his 3 year well child visit this morning... so I'm off to wake the chaos now... goodbye quiet.

Home From Vacation

2011-08-25T14:11:00.000-05:00

It is always exciting and fun to go on vacation, but it's also good to be home.... To be sleeping in my own bed... to be bathing in my own shower.... to have my own kitchen, my own TV... my own dirt....

Last year we rented a beach house and vacationed with my parents, my grandmother, my brother and his family and we had a BLAST, so we decided on a repeat this year. We headed out Tuesday around noon after spending the ENTIRE morning packing. You would have thought we were going for a month, but it takes A LOT to pack up a family of 6 and while Jerry really only had to pack for one plus the kids cots, igloos and some other things. I had to pack for 5 (clothes, swim suits, undies, socks, shoes, hair accessories, Church clothes, toothbrushes, sippy cups... etc).

We got to the beach about 3:00 and the fun began. The kids LOVE the beach... so we spent day one swimming. I could totally tell that Cody was a year older. Last year he spent all his time with a bucket trying to empty the ocean, but this year he was out with the triplets trying to jump waves. Now that the kids are swimmers we had some protest to wearing floaties, but they soon realized Mom wasn't going to give in. "If you want to swim in the ocean, you MUST wear floaties."

After swimming each day we took the kids to the outdoor shower, stripped them down and washed them up. Then 4 naked little bodies when upstairs and got into their PJs (we almost alway swam in the afternoon/evening and did activities in the mornings.)

We ate a bite of lasagna (my Mom prepared) and called it a night...

I'll be sharing photos as they are edited and in no particular order.

I Heart Faces - Pets

2011-08-23T13:55:00.000-05:00

Here is a little break from my babies and a look at one of my furry babies... Share the love over at I Heart Faces!!

Just got back from vacation a couple hours ago, so I'll post about it in the coming days....

One More Picture Before We Go....

2011-08-15T14:03:00.000-05:00

A dream is a wish your heart makes

I Heart Faces - Beautiful Eyes

2011-08-15T07:09:00.000-05:00

Ok, well we are off on vacation tomorrow... so I leave you with final post (until our return). My little Kaylee with lashes that go on FOREVER!!

Nothing Much...

2011-08-12T16:15:00.001-05:00

Jerry got home from his business trip this afternoon sick... I was soooo anxious for him to get home and have things get back to normal (I'm exhausted), but he came home sick and is now in bed.... Time to reach deep and find the oomph to keep going....

So, all I have is a photo to share.

Shall We Dance?

2011-08-10T21:27:00.000-05:00

Dear husband is out of town this week and I've been super busy... so the camera has been holstered, but I did manage to figure out how to put video on the blog. I do it soooo infrequently that each time I want to post video, I have to re-learn how to do it...

Addison is 2nd on the left and Kaylee is 2nd on the right (with one little girl between them).

After the performance, the girls had a surprise visitor... Ariel!! Once again, THANKS to my parents for taking video and pictures!!!!!

Please Join Us in Prayer

2011-08-09T13:54:00.000-05:00

Ok, I don't know why, but I haven't been getting emails when comments arrive, so I thought I'd been gone too long and lost the love, but today found the hiding comments and got them posted. Sorry to have not replied and thanks to all.

Jerry and I went to Oklahoma this weekend to visit a friend diagnosed with stage 4 Pancoast lung cancer. I use the term 'friend' with hesitation because the word fails to do her justice... she is family and we love her. Jerry has known Pam and her husband Curtis for 20 years. Pam was a bridesmaid and Curtis a groomsman in our wedding. They are a couple deeply in love with each other and they are the grandparents to 5 little ones. She is now battling a formidable foe and prayers are needed. I ask all of you, my friends to join in our prayers... PLEASE...

Pam owned a dance studio and was a dance instructor until about 10 years ago (she taught my husband to dance and I have to say he is a GREAT dancer), so she has enjoyed hearing about our girls and their dance classes. Their 1st recital was Saturday. Jerry and I were out of town with Pam, but my parents took the girls and took video and pictures for us. I'll share more later...

Once again, I ask for your prayers on Pam's behalf... we love her dearly.

Where Have I Been???

2011-08-04T15:28:00.000-05:00

Where have I been you might ask....

Well, as you might recall 2 of the kids contracted strep throat while at VBS which wasn't the end of the world. A little amoxicillan and 24 hours later they were feeling better. Addison finished up her dose 10 days later which was this past Friday.

We attended a birthday party at the neighborhood pool that evening and on Sunday she began complaining that her ear hurt. GREAT... another ear infection. That afternoon after Church and lunch I ran her over the clinic and sure enough she was diagnosed with a middle ear infection so we once again started another antibiotic. I was told swimming was fine since it was middle ear so we let the kids swim.

Now, in the past the kids have felt better after only 2 doses of drugs, but that wasn't the case this time. Addison was up during the night several times and began running 102 fever and by Monday afternoon she was SCREAMING in pain. I rushed her back to the clinic and she had to be held down screaming for them to check her ears. This time we were told she also had swimmer's ear and we were given a topical medication.

Monday night... once again Addison was up multiple times during the night, but she was 'ok' during the day. Her ears were still painful and she didn't want anyone near them, but she was ok.... until the afternoon. Once again she began running fever and was miserable, so I made an appointment with the pediatrician (not the clinic) for the next morning.

Tuesday night, Addison was up throughout the night miserable and for the 1st time EVER we slept with one of the kids. We have NEVER let a child sleep in our bed nor have we ever slept in our kids beds. Once we put Jadon in a cot in our room after a head injury, but that's been it and it's served us well. The entire house sleeps great at night. But Tuesday night, I crawled in Addison's twin bed with her and remained there until Jerry came in to tell me it was time for me to get up. I watched her throughout the night trying to get comfortable and I listened to her moans and groans.

My Mom has been out of town, but my Dad has been over helping and I think he's all that has kept me sane and not panicking the last few days....

Wednesday morning I had a doctors appointment at 8:15 which I could not miss and Addison had her appointment at 10:30. My Dad took care of all 4 kids while I suffered at my appointment away from Addison. I was happy to hear when I called home that she had fallen asleep on the sofa and had been sleeping all morning.

I rushed home and we took her to the ped. He confirmed the middle ear and swimmers ear infections and educated me a bit. A middle ear while painful, typically isn't painful to the touch since it's deeper in the ear. Swimmers ear is in the ear canal so any pressure or tension on the ear is extremely painful. The topical medication the clinic had given us was described as "a steriod with a pain reliever and bacteria inhibitor" but not an antibiotic so Addison wasn't getting better. She is now on a topical antibiotic along with her oral antibiotic and while still not back to normal seems a bit better today....

So, I am EXHAUSTED.... STRESSED... and glad to see my baby doing better.

Well, They Look the Part

2011-07-28T16:05:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the girls started dance classes and I was super excited!!! They get to do ballet and tap and wear princess dresses and dance to princess songs.... I was a super excited Mom.

Jerry, was not so excited. He has it in his head that dance for girls this young is just a waste of money. "They don't learn anything and just wander around the stage in recitals." OK, I might agree at 3 years old... but the girls are almost 5 so I put my foot down.

I invited Jerry to watch the 1st session and I was sure I would convince him this was the right thing to do. The girls looked ADORABLE... ballerinas for sure.

Well, what can I say... they didn't do so well during their 1st session. They lack the ability to control their arm and leg movements at the same time, they lack flexibility and all coordination. While I enjoyed watching them, I think my expectations were too high.

I though all kids were flexible. I remember being able to do the splits.... well, apparently all kids are not flexible or coordinated.

BUT!!!!! The girls have now been to 3 classes and they have improved TREMENDOUSLY and they are enjoying it, so we will be keeping it up. And... I kinda think they won their Daddy over when he saw them dressed head to toe in pink.

Even though they still need to work on their dancing.... the certainly look the part and I couldn't be prouder!!!

I'm also happy to report Jadon has not felt left out at all and has shown no interest in dancing and Cody while he insisted he was a "guirrel" (girl) for a while and wanted to dance, quickly lost interest. I'm looking into Karate for the boys.

Some quick photos before we left the house:

Dancing and Diving

2011-07-26T16:36:00.001-05:00

Just a couple things to report on the home front.

1st, the girls started dance classes this week. They are in the Princess Series which entails beginning ballet and tap. They start off in their dance clothes (pink tights, pink leotard, pink skirt, and hair bun with pink bow). After learning some basic steps and their "daily routine" they change into princess dresses and perform their routines. Today was Sleeping Beauty and each time the get to dress like a different princess and dance to the disney princess songs. ADORABLE... what little girl wouldn't just love this. I tried to get photos, but failed miserably so I will try again next time and will share more about the dancing.

2nd, the triplets have been official swimmers for at least a month now. They can swim all over the pool and dive to the bottom of the deep end (7 feet). They really are awesome. While I'd NEVER leave them unattended and we have three locks and a door alarm to access the pool, they are now considered "pool safe." Well, earlier this week Cody asked to swim w/o floaties. Great!!! We need to start teaching him I thought... well, what can I say, but the kid is a fast learner. He can't go the distance that the triplets can, but he can swim, come up for air and get to safety. I am hoping before the summer is out to call him a swimmer.

Regarding the photos... Cody stripped off all his clothes during a temper tantrum and hid under a sheet. After some teasing I was able to elicit some smiles.

I Heart Faces - Water

2011-07-26T15:24:00.000-05:00

Let It Rain

I was really wanting a great pool shot, but time did not permit so I chose this picture of Addison sitting by the pool in a light shower of much needed rain. You know me, I hate not to participate.

Let it Rain

2011-07-23T16:25:00.001-05:00

We have had a drought here for sooo long we have trees dying everywhere. While we totally were wanting rain, we thought it was going to hit right in the middle of Cody's birthday by the pool which wasn't what we wanted. But, we were lucky and the rain waited until another day and I grabbed the camera.

Addison thought it was soooooo cool to go out in the rain, get her dress wet, and hold an umbrella all by herself. She was very cooperative.... SHOCKING.

This week was Vacation Bible School. I didn't know when I signed Cody up he was suppose to have turned 3 by June 1st to attend, but I did know he had to be potty trained. On July 18th, the day of his 3rd birthday he went to VBS totally potty trained (we didn't tell them it was his birthday since he wasn't officially suppose to be there).

On Wednesday, I kept Addison home with Strep throat and on Friday I kept Jadon home with the same. Fortunately, 24 hours of antibiotic and they are better and free to socialize once again.

Cody's Real Birthday

2011-07-23T16:12:00.000-05:00

On Monday we celebrated Cody's actual birthday swimming at my parents house. It was really just an opportunity for us all the hang out. Our neighbor was kind enough to bring over some left over cupcakes on Friday, so we ate those for dessert. I put a candle in Cody's cup cake and we once again sang Happy Birthday. He was sooooo cute and excited. He couldn't contain his excitement and flapped his hands in exuberance. Here is the aftermath of the cup cake captured by my Dad (thanks Dad).

Finally... Birthday Post (Part 2)

2011-07-22T14:22:00.003-05:00

Sorry, this is taking so long but we are dealing with strep throat, Vacation Bible School and some other issues....

OK...

After lunch it was time to serve the cake and the kids were HILARIOUS... as the cake came out and we sang happy birthday I looked around at all the little faces and they had a look of shear awe about them. It was literally...."oooohhhh,,,, here comes the caaaakkkkeeeee."

Cody of course sang to himself, but he knew we were also going to celebrate Blake's birthday the next day so he finished the song, "Appy Birfday Cody... and Blake n Brandon... Appy Birfday to u." Clearly he was confused given he also included Blake's brother Brandon. (hhhmmmm who knows maybe he thinks their twins as well????)

Once the candles were blown out, the kids quickly removed the candies from the cake and scarfed them down and the cake was served.

My little Kaylee girl

And of course Cody's girlfriend... what a CUTIE!!!

Oh, I swear I could photograph Alexa all day long!! She looks soooo pretty enjoying her ice cream.

"Really Mom? I need a spoon why"?

Ahhh, even at four... no spoon required

The swimming continued until late into the evening and I was happy to send parent's home with worn out children that fell asleep quickly at bedtime.

I may have also sent home some very tired Daddy's and PawPaw's... Here is my Dad playing with Kaylee and Zachary. He is a GREAT GREAT GREAT PawPaw!!!!!!

Blake and Brandon's Dad also did his part in keeping the kids entertained.

Ahhh, water chaos, but everyone is happy!!!

And... Just looking BEAUTIFUL... if you haven't met her yet... my Mom!!! LOVE YOU MOM!!!

It was about 8:00 in the evening after all our friends had gone home that we started opening gifts and we did it at warp speed given it was late. Cody cashed in on everything Buzz, but...

The HIGHLIGHT of the gifts was his new Buzz Lightyear costume which my parents gave him.

He wore it all weekend and rode his new scooter all over the house yelling, "To imfiminy n beyonnnn."

Happy birthday my little BUZZ... may your life be full of joy and happiness to infinity and beyond. I LOVE YOU!!!

My Baby is Three... (Part One)

2011-07-20T17:29:00.000-05:00

Ok, it's now official... Cody is Three.

We celebrated his birthday on Friday with a Toy Story theme since one of the 1st things he learned to say was, "To infinity and beyond." He is in LOVE with Buzz Lightyear. So, Thursday night after the kids went to bed, I made the cake. Fortunately, it was one of the easiest cakes I've made thus far.

We've had:
Winnie the Pooh (before I started blogging)
The Zoo (Triplet's 2nd)
Mickey Mouse Toodles (Cody's 1st)
Beauty and the Beast (Triplet's 3rd)
Noah's Ark (Cody's 2nd and maybe my favorite cake)
Wizard of Oz (Triplet's 4th)

Grandma Barb from Oklahoma flew in to help celebrate and we started with a pool "get together" about 3:00. We didn't have an "official party" but invited over our neighbors from both our old house and new house. GG (great Grandma) was also in attendance.

We thought the weather was going to be a problem, but it turned out to be perfect. The clouds kept it cool and the kids had a blast. We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs in an effort to keep it simple and appeal to all taste buds.

Cody sat with his little "girlfriend" Gabriella...

The older kiddos sat at the "big kid table"

Our oldest attendee was Alexa... isn't she just beautiful. She's a whopping 8 years old now. Her brother Zachary is enjoying the juice box.

Addison is sporting the blood shot swimmers eyes

And... my birthday boy is LOVING it all!!!

We may have to move before the kids hit puberty... Our neighbor Brandon seems to have a way with the girls...

And here is his handsome brother Blake. (Hope I got this right... they aren't twins, but you could fool me)!!

Ok... this post is getting long... I have a TON more pictures... and I need to go make dinner.... sooooo more later!!

UP NEXT.... CAKE PICTURES!!!! YUMMY!!!

A Busy Weekend

2011-07-13T19:40:00.000-05:00

OK, I am signing off for the next few days. We are celebrating Cody's 3rd birthday this weekend and my mother-in-law is flying in tomorrow to help celebrate. There is no doubt in my mind... the blog will be neglected.

So I leave you with some final photos of my 2 year old Cody and will no doubt soon be sharing photos of my big boy... 3 year old Cody.

At My Husband's Request

2011-07-13T13:18:00.000-05:00

To keep our friends and family in the loop on our project, my husband requested I post a few more (final) photos.

Lazy Days of Summer

2011-07-11T07:17:00.000-05:00

When summer rolls around each year... I let out a groan.... no more Tues/Thurs mornings to myself to get things done. No more breaks from the crying, fighting, whining, begging, and complaining.

BUT, I have to say there are some perks to summer. No more packing lunches (4 lunches). No more unpacking 1/2 eaten lunches and cleaning all the stuff. No more cleaning out school bags. No more RUSHING around getting 4 kids out of bed, teeth brushed, clothes on, beds made, hair fixed, shoes on, etc. and out the door by 8:45.

Given the triplets no longer have naps, but quiet time I feel I can finally let them sleep as long as they want, so I'm no longer dragging them all out of bed at 7:00, but I let them roll out at their leisure between 7:00 and 8:00. Everyone is always up by 8:00 and then we take our time getting ready.

SO... while there are a lot of perks to school, there are also some perks to the summer schedule...

All The Noise, Noise, Noise, Noise

2011-07-08T13:20:00.001-05:00

My Dad sent this to me... he thought of me when he read it.

Yes, we are working on "noise control" in our home. Sometimes Jadon explodes with screams just because he has an overwhelming urge to scream and let out some energy. We have the fighting scream, the hurt scream, the fun scream, and yes... the I just don't feel like walking in the other room to get Mom's attention scream...

Good grief... how I used to take quiet for granted....

Of course, what is a post without a few pictures? The workers left this in the back yard and of course I thought... PROP!!

Imagination Station

2011-07-08T07:38:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, when I got Jadon and Addison up from naps (aka quiet time)... I found them playing Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue. They had built an elaborate structure (primarily using pillows and books) with doors and hidden rooms and had the fairies locked inside. The photo doesn't do it justice.... the imagination!! Kaylee chose to sleep in the play room after getting pushed by Addison, so she missed out on the play. Ah, never a dull moment.

On another note, the other evening we had the kids at restaurant with an indoor play structure and I heard another child say, "Hey, there are twins in here. They have on the same clothes." Kaylee then responded, "We aren't twins. We're triplets." I was shocked because I didn't really think they knew they were triplets even though we talk about it from time to time.

Goodbye Babies... Hello Children

2011-07-06T14:05:00.000-05:00

We have moved our last baby item out of the house... the changing table. I didn't think it could be done, but (knock on wood) Cody is finally potty trained. He has been in big boy undies 24/7... day and night... for over a week now and accident free. Even during a temper tantrum yesterday, he stopped to go tee tee in the potty. If you talk to him about pottying he will tell you, "We no tee tee in our pans, we tee tee in da paneey." No more bottles, diapers, cribs, high chairs, bouncy seats and finally... no more changing table.

Way to go, my big boy!!!

Red, White, and a bit black and blue...

2011-07-05T14:31:00.002-05:00

Imagine my husbands joy when I asked if we could take the kids over to this site for some photos... NOT!! He reluctantly agreed. Initially, I had planned on just the boys, but the girls were insistent upon wearing their overalls since the boys were getting to. I left the girls with their bedtime braids and no one got their teeth brushed. Literally, I was trying to get us out the door before the sun was bright over head... I failed a bit on that one. Then I brought out paint buckets, brushes, and a step stool. Jerry, "What are these for?"... Me, "They are my props." Yes, I got an eye roll. I soooo wanted this to go well so he'd help me again and it was going ok... until the ant bite.... ugh...

Hopefully, some of these shots will be inspiration enough for him to allow me drag the kids to other locations....

Yeah, BAD SUN on this one.... I tried to salvage it...

Kaylee and the dreaded ant bite

I Heart Faces - Red, White and Blue

2011-07-05T06:59:00.008-05:00

Let's Paint the Town RED.... White and Blue...

I hope everyone had a fantastic and safe 4th of July. Head over to my favorite challenge sites, I Heart Faces and Shutter Love Tuesdays, and check out all the colorful entries!

(Side note... poor Kaylee endured a traumatic ant bite in the taking of these photos which abruptly ended our little photo session, but we did get a few more shots which I will share soon. Including a photo of the ant bitten screaming face.)

OK, the rest of the photos are now posted HERE.

Oh, welcome back world....

2011-07-02T12:17:00.000-05:00

OH, I'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH WITHDRAWAL!!!! The landscapers accidentally cut our Uverse line and I've been without phone, TV, but most importantly.... INTERNET!!!!! It's been really busy around here, but I did get some picture of the girls the other day. I couldn't blog, but I could still edit photos so I edited a LOT.

The very last photo of Kaylee... the focus us off, but I managed to capture her "defiant face" with lips pushed out. The face she makes whenever she doesn't like something or doesn't want to do something....

I Heart Faces - Whimsical

2011-06-28T14:30:00.002-05:00

Ok, I was heartbroken that I didn't have an image this week to participate, but then even more bummed when I learned that Barb Uil from JinkyArt was the judge. BUT then it happened.... the girls came down with tu-tus on their heads pretending to be lions and I asked if I could take their picture. To my surprise, I got a YES....

I had ONE SHOT... literally... I had the girls sit in their room and after one snap of the camera... the tu-tus were off and they were out the door.

I'm Sorry Camera

2011-06-28T07:04:00.000-05:00

If you haven't noticed, my participation rate in photo challenges has pretty much dropped to almost zero. I still try to hold true to I Heart Faces but as of this morning I still don't have an entry for this week.

I dream of participating in Ashley's scavenger hunt and have taken a picture or two in the past with intent to participate, but soon become overwhelmed with crying kids.

I used to participate pretty regularly in the Shutter Love Tuesday challenges.... way back when....

Now, I'm pretty much hit or miss... if I have a few minutes I might try and link up one of my post with a challenge if my photo seems to fit the bill, but planning ahead for a shot has become a thing of the past. Time is not my friend and taking care of this home is often all consuming....

Now, I have to apologize to my camera... yes... You have been used sooo little the last few weeks that I have allowed your battery to die... and the back-up battery....

I PROMISE to charge both batteries today and attempt to move photo taking up on the ladder of priorities...

   Sorry laundry
   Sorry dirty dishes
   Sorry dust and grime
   Sorry un-made beds
   ~~Sorry kids~~.... oops, scratch that... they will always top the list of priorities!!!

(Oh, I did manage to create a new blog header and hope it works ok... it was a learning experience.)

A Little About Saturday

2011-06-26T13:36:00.000-05:00

Oh... a busy weekend...

Apparently, June/July is time for birthdays... We had a birthday yesterday, we have another next Sunday, and then another the following Saturday. Throw Cody's birthday on top of that and wow... lots of birthdays.

My parents are out of town this weekend to celebrate my nephew Lane's birthday. Happy Birthday you cute little man!!!

Yesterday morning we had to wake early to attend a "Pajama Party" themed birthday. It was a super cute idea with donuts, pancakes, and breakfast burritos. We had Melon Dew the clown who created balloon animals and painted faces. The kids had a great time, but I think the highlight for all the little bodies was the birthday boys play room. Woo Hoo... toys we have never seen before!!!

After that we headed over to the storage room and pulled out all of outdoor furniture and spent the remainder of the day in the pool. When it's just us swimming we let the kids swim in their underwear to keep it simple (hence Cody is just wearing a swim diaper).... BUT.... I think he is potty trained....

Triplet Jogging Stroller & Quad Stroller for Sale

2011-06-24T11:40:00.003-05:00

It makes me soooo sad, but the time has come to sell our remaining strollers. They have been sitting in storage for a while now.

We started with the Peg Perego triplet stroller with snap in carseats. Ahhh, yes here I am preggo and not looking so hot. The hair???

And the triplets in their carseats....

We added the Baby Jogger Q-Series (Now for Sale) to our collection. I couldn't find any pictures of the babies in this stroller... before I became the crazy photo lady.

The jogger is a great stroller, but for the triplets 1st birthday they got a Choo Choo Wagon which became our main form of transportation throughout the neighborhood. The train was later expanded when we welcomed Cody. They are about to outgrow their wagon, but my heart will literally break when the time comes to sell it. It has taken us to many Halloween events, 4th of July parades and other activities.

Cody actually has a real train seat (identical to Kaylee's orange seat), but when he was this little we just laid him in the pull along trailer.

When Cody was born, our Peg Perego triplet just didn't have enough seats so it was sold along with the car seats to an awesome couple. It was replaced with our Foundations Quad stroller (Now for Sale) which we used quite a bit, but now sits in storage.

I will be placing our Triplet Jogger and Quad Stroller up for sale soon (probably on Ebay), but I know I get a lot of hits from Multiples and More. If anyone is interested in our strollers, just let me know.

The Pool Project is Nearing The End.... THANK GOODNESS

2011-06-23T16:29:00.000-05:00

I stopped taking photos of our pool project because I just got tired of the whole project all together. These kinds of projects totally test your sense of humor, but despite ALL THE ISSUES and headaches... we are nearing the end... We still have a list of final items, clean up, and landscaping... but we are almost done!!!!

The kids were able to take their 1st swim on Saturday... a good time was had by all!!

I Heart Faces - Let's Hear It For The Boys

2011-06-19T22:17:00.000-05:00

My husband and our little man, Cody... Check out I Heart Faces this week and their tribute to Father's Day...

I Made Top 10 - Photo Competition

2011-06-18T09:42:00.000-05:00

WOW!! WOW!! WOW!!! I was excited beyond words to learn that my 'Bright & Vivid' photo of Addison took 7th place out of 514 entries at I Heart Faces this week. I told Susan, I was literally dancing around the house like a crazy woman this morning with the kids thinking I'd lost it. I'm a mom who takes care of 4 little munchkins all day... this was an awesome change of pace.

College with a Sippy Cup

2011-06-17T16:13:00.000-05:00

Ok, this may be kind of embarrassing because I don't know how many 4 year olds still use a sippy cup... but mine do.... well, until recently.

Our routine is I make 4 sippy cups of Carnation Instant Breakfast every morning with the kids oatmeal. The kids need calories! Jadon and Kaylee get whole milk (they need more calories) and Addison and Cody get skim milk.

Once the milk is gone, I clean one cup and fill it with ice water which they share all day. Drinks are not allowed upstairs, but you will find them in any number of places downstairs. So, we like lids and spill proof.

Well, recently we started introducing cups at lunch and dinner. At lunch I let them drink a fruit/veggie blended juice and at dinner they get a cup of milk. The rest of the time it's water from a sippy cup... but we have actually graduated to cups in our home. Even Cody who is almost 3 is using a cup. The change hasn't been implemented without spills and messes, but they have been minimal and they all seem to be doing well.

If it were up to me, I think I'd send them off to College with sippy cups... Hey, I'd make sure it had their college emblem on it....

Fix It Friday #100

2011-06-17T08:13:00.004-05:00

Edit:

Original:

1. Took photo to ACR where I reduced exposure to correct blown out areas, increased brightness, and corrected white balance.
2. In Photoshop, I increased contrast using levels.
3. Increased green and yellow saturation and masked off skin
4. Added a Kaleidoscope glow
5. A little vignette and sharpen

Done!!

No Time for Words, Just a Shy Smile

2011-06-16T20:02:00.001-05:00

How Do You Protect Them?

2011-06-15T07:46:00.000-05:00

Monday morning my parents were out of town, so my neighbor and I decided to get our kids together and let them bounce at once of those blow up bounce places. We had been there a while and I saw Addison walking hand in hand with another little girl... Ok, Miss Social has made a friend I thought to myself.

Not long after that Jadon exited a bouncer and ran over excited, "I made a new friend. Her name is Ally." I saw two little girls and said, "Hello Ally." She didn't really give me much notice and then the two girls ran off. Jadon didn't follow so I thought that was the end.

Right before we were getting ready to leave I saw Jadon sitting across the room on the edge of a bouncer crying. I knew he wasn't hurt or he would be seeking me out. I was confused because... he always seeks me out when crying. I picked him up and asked what was wrong...

"Nobody likes me." sobbing tears..
"Baby, why do you say that""
"The girl in the green shirt (Ally's friend) said her name isn't Ally and told me to go away. Nobody likes me."

It's hard to convey in text how upset he was and how my heart was breaking for him. I struggled for what to say. He is the most amazingly sweet and loving little boy on the planet and he was crushed. Do I bad mouth the girl to make him feel better? Do I tell him that's life and not everyone will like him? Do I just tell him how special he is? How do I fix this??????

My Mom always said, "It's so hard for a mother to tell her child how wonderful he/she is when the rest of the world is telling them something different."

Someone was telling Jadon he wasn't ok... how do I convince him that isn't true???

In the end, I held him and told him about all the people who do like him... his brother and sisters, the neighbors who came to play with us, all his friends from school, his old neighbors, etc.

Kids can be so mean and cruel. How do you convince kids they just have to survive childhood and things will get easier? How do you convince them they are wonderful when the world is telling them otherwise?

This isn't the 1st time someone has been mean. Kaylee ran into some mean girls at a party one time and Addison has been turned away when trying to make friends before and every time it just breaks my heart.

How do you protect them??? How do you build their self-esteem?? How do you convince them the world is wrong because THEY ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING KIDS and they are loved beyond words or comprehension.

I Heart Faces - Bright and Vivid

2011-06-12T23:00:00.003-05:00

I just LOVE this weeks theme !!! Be sure and check out all the other A-MAZing entries!!!! I Love Love Love I Heart Faces!!

Chewelry, Who Knew?

2011-06-10T11:25:00.000-05:00

From a very young age, Kaylee has been biting her nails (fingers and toes) and we have tried our hardest to dissuade her from the activity. Over the past year her nail biting has progressed to chewing her nails and the surrounding skin which leaves her fingers and toes raw and sore. I've worried about infection and how this might progress as she gets older. Once reprimanded for a chewing event, she can go weeks/months without another incident but then she finally gives in to the urge and once again I find the havoc she's played on her fingers and toes.

On Monday, I mentioned her habit to Jadon's eating therapist, Ms. Caroline and after some discussion it sounds like Kaylee's habit is driven by a need to chew rather than a coping mechanism for stress. In addition to her fingers and toes, she chews fabric, string, hair and any number of other things. We left Caroline's office with a rubber chew tube and we were directed to the internet to order "Chewelry." Yes, jewelry made for kids who have a need to chew. We have a couple chew tubes, bracelets and necklaces headed our way. I hope this redirects her chewing and takes care of the problem until she gets older.

Oh, so deep....

2011-06-09T22:15:00.001-05:00

I received a comment on my last post regarding the Catholic faith and artificial reproduction.

My husband and I worked closely with the Church and my family (my father teaches baptism classes and RCIA) in our endeavor to have children and we are at peace with our decision given the help of the priests and deacons. For any Catholics who are struggling with having children and seeking assistance. I encourage you to talk to the Church and pray for guidance. There is so much depth to the Church and it's teachings and I learn more daily.

We just continue to thank God for our many blessings and where we may fail, we ask His forgiveness... where we succeed we sing His praise.

And for all our readers, may you always have sincere motives and good report of others.

I'm off to bed.... Goodnight...

A Picture Prompts A Post

2011-06-09T11:50:00.000-05:00

Lets talk Cody....

I always wanted 4 babies and getting married at 35 and no sign of babies by 36... I just didn't think it would ever happen. Six months after my 36th birthday (April 5th to be exact) having gone through fertility (IUI to be exact) we learned we were pregnant and not long after that (exact date documented somewhere, but not in the mood to go look it up) we found out it was triplets.

The triplets were born 4 days before my 37th birthday. I later wrote an article and we were feature on the cover of Triplet Connection magazine (here). I started the article with "I always wanted four babies" and ended the article leaving the 4th child decision in the hands of the Lord. I knew I'd never get loving husband back into a fertility center. A couple weeks after the triplets 1st birthday, the Lord decided and I found out I was pregnant again... naturally.

Nine months later, we welcomed Cody... our tiny tornado and ALL BOY!!

Cody has never picked up a doll and cares nothing about princesses. When working a puzzle with Toy Story and Princess pieces, he tossed the princess pieces aside and would only play with the Toy Story pieces. He is in love with Buzz Lightyear (even has Buzz PJs) and loves to say, "To Infinity and Beyond."

He is strong willed beyond words and fights me over everything... he doesn't want to get in the car, he doesn't want to get in his seat, he doesn't want to brush his teeth, he doesn't want to comb his hair, he doesn't want.... and most currently, he doesn't want to go potty (but he's doing much better). I think his first words were "No, I done wanno" When upset or mad he bangs his head on the floor to try and tries elicit sympathy (it worked once or twice so he's sticking with it).

He is rough and tumble... he doesn't comprehend gentle and is aggressive most of the time. He loves to play rough and tackle.... HE IS ALL BOY!!!!

But, he is MY Rough & Tumble BOY and despite our struggles with little man Cody... he is funny. He loves his siblings and copy cats them even when he doesn't comprehend what he's doing. The inflection in his voice is ADORABLE beyond words. After dinner the other night I got an unsolicited, "Good dinna Mommy." He gives the BEST bear hugs ever and his thighs are the sweetest dough boy thighs I've ever seen.

Our plate was FULL with the triplets, but I never stopped wanting dessert.... We now have a full plate and a full dessert cup and I'm enjoying it all (most of the time...)

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!!!!!! The FOOTBALL shirt which he loves and he knows it says 'football' and the girls headband which is sooooo NOT him....

And I had to get a close up of those freckles!!!!

Little Swimmers

2011-06-08T06:58:00.000-05:00

It's almost 7:00am and I'm about to head upstairs and get the kids up and moving. This morning is our weekly swim lesson which the kids LOVE. I have seen A LOT of improvement with Addison and Jadon. Addison is pretty much "pool safe" and has good control when swimming. She will float, spin, and play before heading to a wall or step for a rest.

Jadon sticks close to the side or step, but now prefers to swim without floaties which is HUGE for this timid little man. I certainly would not classify him as a dare devil.

Kaylee will get there, but isn't there yet. She just doesn't have the confidence yet and panics when she jumps in, so when she is suppose to turn around and grab the wall... she tries swimming to the closest person instead.

Then there is Cody. He LOVEs trying to swim, but he is still such a baby. He will be in floaties for a while yet I am sure... but I believe he will shock us at how quickly he can swim independently. He loves talking about how he put his nose underwater and his eyes underwater at swim class.

Ok, off to wake the rowdy crew... goodbye quiet...

Monsters Among Us?

2011-06-06T16:47:00.004-05:00

Last night, Jerry discovered the girls has moved into the same bed after we had put them to sleep. They were scolded and put back into their individual beds, but Addison started sobbing... "Please Daddy, Please Daddy... Please let me sleep in Kaylee's bed." Her pleas were so heartfelt and heartbreaking that Jerry succumbed to the begging.

When I woke the girls up this morning, Addison was on the way out the door, but Kaylee stopped her.
Kaylee: "Addison, come here. I want to show you something."
Addison: "What"?
Kaylee: "See it's Big Dog (her stuffed dog)... it wasn't a monster."
Addison: "Oh, I thought it was a monster. Mom, that's why I got in Kaylee's bed last night. I thought her Big Dog was a monster."

So sweet... I could tell she REALLY didn't want to get in her own bed.

I Heart Distance

2011-06-05T22:30:00.001-05:00

The Ferry Ride

Bed Buddies

2011-06-04T18:30:00.000-05:00

The girls (I can't remember how many months back now) started wanting to sleep in the same beds at night. We are soooo structured in our home we were a bit reluctant, but at the same time it was so sweet and cute. We decided to allow them to bunk together on weekends only which has worked out great!! They get some fun time and I only have to make one bed on the weekends (ha, bonus). Oh, I've done a bit of redecorating in the girls room and will need to post pics soon.

Well, last night Jadon asked if he could sleep in Cody's bed since it was the weekend. My heart jumped in my chest... Jadon wants to do something with his little brother!!!!! Hurray!!!! Cody is still so young that the triplets don't pay him much attention and Cody enjoys antagonizing which isn't helping their bonding... So, Jadon got in Cody's bed and it was lights out. We checked on them later and Jadon said, "I'm trying to sleep, but Cody keeps talking to me." He wanted to go back to his own bed... I was soooo bummed.... BUT, when we checked on them one last time before going to bed, Jadon was once again in bed with Cody and they were both sleeping!!!!! I hope this is an early sign of a growing friendship.

World's Greatest Mom.... NOT

2011-06-03T19:57:00.000-05:00

Today was a rough day and I'm exhausted.... I mean totally wiped out. I'm not sure I would win any "World's Greatest Mom" competitions with my performance today... hopefully tomorrow I will do better.

Need a Recipe?

2011-06-02T15:11:00.003-05:00

Ok, I continue to cook and some meals are flops and some meals are fab and this one was really good so I thought I'd share.... Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo

It makes a yummy alfredo sauce and is SUPER easy.... of course, my kids wouldn't eat it (they don't eat anything) but we adults loved it.

Babies & Birthdays

2011-06-01T06:50:00.000-05:00

When the kids learned that their Cousin Lane's birthday was approaching they made it their mission to make him birthday cards. Out came the paper and the colors and the little artists went diligently to work. More effort went into to some cards than others. I think the excitement to tuck them into envelopes and decorate the envelope with stickers got the best of them and the artwork for at least one suffered as a result. None-the-less, each piece of artwork was put into an envelope and enhanced further with stickers. I was then asked to write:

To: Cousin Lane
From: Kaylee

To: Baby Lane
From: Addison

To: Cousin Lane
From: Jadon

Cody didn't real get what we were doing so he scribbled on some paper, called it a cake and moved on.

When the time came to put them in the mail however... they weren't so keen on the idea of having to be separated from their masterpieces and chose to hold onto them until our vacation in August at which time they plan to hand them over personally.

It sounds like a good plan in theory, but I have serious doubts the nice little envelops with preciously crafted artwork survives that long... Sorry little Lane....

Memorial Recap

2011-05-31T13:53:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend... ours was certainly action packed with picture taking, shopping, swimming, and bouncing.

My husband was sweet enough to indulge me with some photo taking. We took the kids to nearby shopping area where I snapped away to my hearts content. Here is one of Addison and I'll be posting more over the next few days.

We swam Sunday and Monday afternoons at my parents house and Monday morning we took the kids to Bouncin' Bears where they bounced to their hearts content. It's an easy outing for Mom and Dad and the kids have a blast and WEAR themselves OUT!! BONUS!!!

We are still very much in the "gross out phase" and nothing makes them laugh more than the word "Poopie"!!! Hilarious!!

Best Face Photo May... People's Choice

2011-05-31T07:22:00.003-05:00

It's the best face photo for May (People's Choice) over at I Heart Faces... Check them OUT and head over later in the week to vote for your favorite!!!

Kaylee playing dress-up in one of my scarves... she was sick and had to breath through her mouth.

Color Me Happy

2011-05-28T14:23:00.001-05:00

I have been fighting a cold the last few days and am on my way to lay down, but thought I'd bring some color to your world...

Addison and Kaylee... My Lovely Girls

I'm Grosser Than You!!

2011-05-26T16:14:00.000-05:00

1st... Thanks to those of you who have taken the time to vote for us via the button at the top. I don't have TONS of followers but I love the followers I do have, so I think it's TOTALLY AWESOME that this little blog got 80 votes!!! It's not close to 3000+ blogs, but hey... it's my 80 and I love it!!

Ok, onto other things....
The kids are so funny in that they don't miss a thing and when they hear something new, they quickly try to work it into their vocabulary and social exchanges.

Jadon: "Look at this!!! It's cool dude"
Addison: "I just can't take it anymore"
Kayee: "That's ridiculous"
Cody" "I'm gonna give you a knuckle sandwich"

Some more favorites:
"That's disgusting"
"Oh yea, big guy"
"Oh no... not again" - This is Addison's favorite.... whenever ANYTHING doesn't go her way.

Of course, we have also started a VERY ANNOYING phase. The gross out phase. While it can be funny because they crack themselves up sooo much. I really don't like it. Essentially, they like calling each other "you're a poopie head." They crack up. "No, you're a super duper poopie head." Oh, hysterical laughter. "You're a stinky poopie head." The laughs continue. While at home they are being kids and playing (and it is kinda funny), I don't want them saying this at school. Hence, we are trying to curb the behavior. Of course, it doesn't help when Daddy is cracking up with them!!!

Oh such mixed feelings...

2011-05-25T16:48:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the kids last day of preschool for the year (as posted previously they attend Tues/Thurs mornings and will go Mon/Wed/Fri next year).

I'm feeling sad because it REALLY seems like just YESTERDAY that we were meeting their new teachers for the 1st time. Like yesterday that we dropped them off to start a new year. HOW THE HECK can the year be over already???? It makes me sad that time is going by sooooo quickly.

I'm feeling ugh... because now I have them 24/7 without time to grocery shop, run errands, go to the doctor, or any number of things.... Their entertainment falls on my shoulders for the next three months...

I'm feeling some relief... now I don't have to make school lunches and drag little bodies out of bed. I feel like we are always running somewhere. It's been Jadon's therapy on Mondays, school Tuesday, swim lessons Wednesday, and School Thursday. By the time Friday rolls around, I'm just soooo glad not to be trying to rush out the door.

Three months really sounds sooooo overwhelming, but each year it goes by pretty quickly. The kids will have 4 days of summer fun camp in June and one week of Vacation Bible School in July. Then we have another beach vacation planned in August.... so the time will pass...

but then I look back at their 1st day of school and realize the time is passing all too quickly.

Ok, on the photography front, I've been trying to get back to flash. I have an off camera flash (the SB600) which I used to use quite a bit mounted on my camera with the Gary Fong light diffuser (great product). But, over time as I began shooting 100% manual I started moving away from flash. Well, I recently read a post at I Heart Faces "Don't Be Afraid of Flash" that inspired me to pull the flash back out. I purchased a stand and umbrella and have been trying to practice. The two shots below were both taken with flash.... what do you think??? It really is a lot of trial and error as I work to understand how to manipulate the flash power and it's relationship to shutter speed and aperture... When I post photos taken with flash, I'll try to make note of it on the blog!!

I Heart Yellow

2011-05-23T16:46:00.001-05:00

Ok, I've posted this picture before, but I still think it perfectly captures this boy. As always... be sure and check out all the other FAB photos at I Heart Faces.

How to build a pool... week ??

2011-05-21T20:11:00.000-05:00

Ok, I don't know how many weeks we've been at this... but it feels like months. Despite the stress, unforeseen issues and surprises it is coming together. This is a boring post for most, but something I want to capture in the "story of our lives." Hopefully, something more exciting tomorrow.

Fix It Friday #99

2011-05-20T07:45:00.001-05:00

I've never participated in I Heart Faces Fix It Friday given my blog is to chronicle our family's life and isn't a photography blog. But, most of my follows are fellow photography lovers and I really loved this shot... so I thought I'd jump in and share an edit....

1. In adobe raw, I increased the exposure and brightness and corrected the color
2. In Photoshop, I softened skin using Coffeeshop Powderoom 2 and adjusted to taste.
3. I added a Soft Light layer and masked off skin at 70% and masked off areas where black details were lost.
4. Brightened eyes with a curves layer.
5. Removed color cast from lollypop using MCP Reflective Color Cast Vanisher from Bag of Tricks
6. Brushed on a little rosy glow to cheeks
7. Increased red and blue color saturation and masked off the skin...
8. A touch of sharpening...

Done!!

Wearily Wordless....

2011-05-19T20:38:00.000-05:00

Too tired for words tonight and I still have to see who gets voted off American Idol tonight... so I leave you with a picture....

Changing Your Perspective

2011-05-18T20:13:00.000-05:00

When Cody was born, I had three 21 month year old babies and that's when it hit me... I can't do it all and I need a break. That is when I began exploring pre-school for the triplets. A few months later they began attending pre-school two mornings a week and at first I felt guilty. I'm suppose to be the stay-at-home mom that does it all. I didn't think mom's were suppose to NEED a break from their kids. I felt GUILTY.

I later realized that I wasn't the only one benefiting from the break. Yes, I could grocery shop, go to doctor appointments, run errands... but the triplets LOVED school and they soon began to amaze me with their newly gained knowledge... months, days of the week, octagons and numerous songs....

As Cody got older, I felt guilty that he wasn't going to school, so when he was almost 2 years old I signed him up and he is THRIVING!!!

So, since the triplets were almost two, I've had two mornings off a week to get things done.... BUT.... I've realized two mornings is no longer enough... When school registration came around this year I signed the kids up for our standard Tuesdays and Thursdays, but this week I talked to the school and they can still make room for the kids in the Monday, Wednesday and Friday class....

So I made the move to 3 days a week!!!! Feeling a twinge of frustration that I need more time, but more I'm feeling a sense of relief. It's virtually impossible to get anything done when you have to push TWO carts to get through a store and they are both filled with kids. I continue to struggle with our long term educational decisions... but for now... I know this is right....

Have You Ever Noticed???

2011-05-17T17:35:00.002-05:00

Just a thought... I mean have you ever noticed how the Mommy is often missing from Disney movies?

Snow White: Evil stepmom
Cinderella: Yep, bad stepmom
Jasmine: Where is Mom?
Ariel: Um, Mom?
Belle: Once again... Mom is MIA.
Pocahontas: Um yea, no Mom
Bambi: Mom gets shot

But... can't say Disney is totally anti-mom...
Dumbo: Where's Dad
Lion King: Bad uncle takes out Dad

And they seem to be coming around...
Tangled: We get a big happy family in the end....

Regardless of the oddly missing mothers in the Disney flix... we still LOVE Disney!!!! In fact, we took the kids to see RIO Sunday night. The triplets seemed to enjoy it, but it was a bit too complicated for Cody. We are now looking forward to Cars 2.

Just Stuff

2011-05-16T15:49:00.000-05:00

I think we are on the road to recovery... as I mentioned in a previous post we've had sick kids (all but Jadon). Well, they overcame their illness, but we soon discovered all the congestion induced ear infections. Unfortunately, each child complained about their ears on different days. I took Cody to the clinic 1st, but he was sent home with just fluid in his ears... no infection. A couple days later, he went back with an infection. Two days later, Kaylee visits the clinic with a double ear infection and then finally yesterday, Addison went to the clinic. Her infection is so severe we have to watch for blood. Her eardrum is close to perforating, but I don't think that will happen. She apparently has a pretty high pain threshold given she didn't complain about her ear until Saturday night.

The pool is progressing slowly and just when I think all is going well, new problems pop up... we will survive, but I'm ready to be done. I'll post more pictures of the progress soon. We did let the kids in the (empty) pool one at a time yesterday and I took a few pictures (below).

Sorry if this is full of typos... I'm just too tired today to care....

Baby Get Your Zen On

2011-05-13T13:48:00.001-05:00

Sometimes you just need a zen moment. A moment to step back, take a deep breath and hhhhuuuummmmm.... (Like when blogger starts deleting posts... still hoping they restore my last post). But I'm more specifically talking about when your two year runs up with no pants on and says "his pants are wet" meaning he tee tee'd in them and wants new ones. As he walks away and you see brown smears on his cute little bottom, you quickly realize... his pants are more than wet. Of course, he doesn't have pants in hand and you don't know where the missing pants with the pile might be???

First priority is to clean the little cute bottom before the cute little two year old decides to sit down somewhere or perhaps scratch his bum. While you are doing this you are hoping the three 4 year olds don't find the missing pants... you can't stand it and yell to them, "IF YOU FIND CODY'S DIRTY PANTS DON'T TOUCH THEM" but in the back of your mind you know telling them this will only intrigue their interest and deepen their desire to touch....

Fortunately, when missing diaper was found, it's contents were all well contained. Once cute little bottom was once again clean and covered and missing pants were tucked into the trash, I felt the need for a zen moment. A need to sit down... take a few deep breaths... to relax for just a moment...

The need was there, but unfortunately not the time.... I immediately started hustling 4 wandering little bodies to their shoes and to the car for school.

Addison found time to get her zen on...

Time to Make a Splash

2011-05-11T15:47:00.000-05:00

Today I bought the girls swimsuits.

My Mom and I left the boys with my Dad and took the girls to Walmart for their fittings. When you shop this early in the season they actually have 2 in most sizes. Try shopping in the middle of the season and forget it... all the sizes are picked over. We started off with size 4/5 since the girls are 4 and half seems logical. Now, their suits from last year never quite fit correctly. They were just too big so I thought they'd fit this year, but no. They are baggy in the body, but too short in the length.

So, this is how the fittings went...

Size 4/5 two piece: Way to big
Size 3/4 two piece: Too big
Size 24M one piece: Too short in length
Size 3T one piece: Too short in length
Size 4T one piece: Perfect length, but too baggy in body and leg opening
Size 24M two piece: FINALLY, the perfect fit.

I can't believe I had to buy 24M swimsuits for my 4 and half year old girls!!! Needless to say, they look adorable. I was sooooo glad I had my Mom with me given all the trips back and forth for new sizes. THANKS MOM anddddddd THANKS DAD for staying home with boys. I've just got too much on my plate right now and it was a HUGE help!!!

Three Little Piggy's are Sick

2011-05-10T15:50:00.001-05:00

This little piggy has 102 fever (Addison)
This little piggy threw up (Kaylee)
This little piggy was up all night w/an ear infection (Cody)
This little piggy has nothing wrong (Jadon)
This little piggy cried "no, no, no, no" all day long.... (Mommy)

Yes, once again I'm juggling sick babies. Well, all but one... Jadon is fine for the moment.

My Healthy Child

How To Build a Pool: Week One

2011-05-09T16:57:00.000-05:00

Day One: The Planning

Day Two: The Dig

Day Three & Four: Rebar and Gunite

WATER THE GUNITE THREE TIMES A DAY FOR 7 DAYS

One Week Later: Cut and Fit Coping

Mother's Day Recap

2011-05-09T16:07:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning I enjoyed breakfast in bed. Each baby came in carrying 1/2 a donut and Daddy led the team with a glass of milk. Mother's Day at home was slipped up to Saturday because Sunday we had a super busy day celebrating Mother's Day with my Mom and Grandmother. Later Saturday afternoon I attended a Studio Lighting class which was a lot of fun. I attempted to capture a "high key" and "low key" photo of our beautiful model (below). I was gone about 4 hours then rushed home to spend the evening at the neighbors house grilling out and letting the kids bounce on their new trampoline.

After a while Cody came over to greet me and I noticed his eye looked swollen....

Me: "Jerry, does his eye look swollen"?
Jerry: "Oh, you noticed..."

Upon closer inspection his eye was swollen and black (the black was initially hidden under mounds of blue sidewalk chalk. The kids had colored their faces blue and looked like they walked off the set of Braveheart). He apparently took a spill on some playground equipment earlier in the day...

Sunday, we got the kids ready for Church (they each had a Mother's Day card for me), picked up my folks and headed to my grandmothers Church to celebrate with her. We finished up with a fantastic lunch and then it was back to work for me... Another's Mother's Day gone....

Here are the shots from my Studio Lighting class:

A Post To Let You Know I'm Still Here....

2011-05-06T16:05:00.001-05:00

Goodness, I've been sooooo busy there just hasn't been much time for blogging or photo taking, but I did pull out the camera today and took a few shots. This is the only one I had time to edit. When I finish up all the wedding photo edits... things should get back to normal... I Hope!!