Anchors Away

There is such a small window of time in which you can dress little boys like little boys.... They will be in jeans and t-shirts soon enough. But blue checked overalls and sailor suits last for such a short time.

Ebay Junkie....

I recently started selling on Ebay and now I think I'm addicted. I'm looking for anything I can sell... I sold our triplet stroller since we had to move up to a quad stroller with the birth of Cody and I've started selling the clothes the kids have outgrown (with some heartache as I remember them in these little outfits, but I can't keep everything). The money I've gotten for the kids clothes so far I have since spent on new clothes, but I feel like they are getting a whole new wardrobe for free or close to free!! I've always shopped on Ebay, but have fallen in love with selling.

After all, my husband works way too hard for the money for me to go and throw it away and he wants to retire SOON!!!! The less we spend, the more we SAVE!!!! Yippee!!!

Blooming among the flowers

The Perfect Storm

As I've stated in previous posts, life with our brood has gotten much easier and on occasion the stars align in such a way that all the kids are happy and a joy, but on increasingly more rare occasions the stars curse us and align in such a way that every child is moody, whiney, needy, and LOUD. This was our night last night. While one might try to imagine what it sounds like with 4 crying and screaming babies, you really have to live it to understand how your muscles begin to tighten, your sense of humor begins to shorten, and your own voice begins to rise. The crys range from "Boo Boo" to "Blow Nose" to "Drink", to just plain old screaming. Kaylee was crying because Jerry just wasn't sitting where she wanted him to sit.... fortunately, these times are becoming fewer and fewer, but when the perfect storm strikes... look out!!

Giggles make the heart grow fonder...

Great Financial Quotes to Live By....

In light of today's economy I thought a posting on the importance of savings might be of interest.

"Why bother to become a better saver? Because boosting your saving prowess can have a huge emotional payoff. Nine out of ten savers say they're 'happy' with their lives. Savers are more likely than spenders to be happy with their lifestyle, self-esteem, even their appearance. They're more likely to feel confident and content, less likely to feel stressed and restless. Spenders are just the opposite: They're more likely to be frustrated with their lot in life."
— Jean Chatzky

"Doing what is right for you — including making sure you'll have what you need in any sitution — may mean giving up what you want right now to pay for what you could need later on. I hope you decide to do this, for you'll be amazed at how much control over your life you will feel with your emergency fund standing behind you."
— Suze Orman

"The basic truth is that you must plan for the unexpected, because it will happen. Although we don't know what form it will take, it will come. To think otherwise is naive. So you have to plan for it. Saving into an emergency fund is an essential element for financial peace."
— Dave Ramsey

"There is no greater power known to man than compounding interest."
- Albert Einstein

"When you're starting out financially, you need to take four steps:
. Find a low-cost checking account.
. Eliminate debt.
. Build an emergency fund.
. Start saving for long-term goals."
- Laura Rowley

An interesting person to study is Warren Buffett. He was ranked by Forbes as the richest person in the world during the first half of 2008, with an estimated net worth of $62.0 billion. Buffett is noted for his adherence to the value investing philosophy and for his personal frugality despite his immense wealth. In 1979 despite having a net worth of $620 million, placing him on the Forbes 400 for the first time, he lived solely on his salary of $50,000 per year. He currently lives in the same house in the central Dundee neighborhood of Omaha that he bought in 1958 for $31,500, today valued at around $700,000. Jerry loves to study him and Jerry's favorite quote from him is "I will tell you how to become rich. Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful." Great advice perhaps, but easier said than done as we contemplate when to start aggressively investing in the stock market again....

Happy savings...

Like Grandfather, Like Grandson

Dad watched the kids about 3 hours this morning while Mom and I worked on the girls room.... this is what watching the kiddo will do to you.

Videos

The Girls Sing "Jesus Loves Me".... during dinner with mouths full....



Our Little Man Bounces Like Tigger:

No greater compliment

We went out for dinner last night, which we now do about 2 or 3 times a week, and as we sat a table near us asked if they were triplets and how old they were. We did our normal, "Yes, they are speech... yada yada." At the end of our meal the couple came over and told us they had grown twins, but they never behaved as well our 2 1/2 year olds and we were clearly doing something right. There is no greater compliment than having someone tell you how beautiful and well behaved your children are. I was glowing the rest of the evening. It has gotten soooo much easier and I now love going out to dinner with the kids.

A Good Day

A good day. The triplets went to "school" this morning and Mom, Dad, and I started painting the girls room and it turned out beautiful. It is beginning to look so soft and feminine. The bedspread for Jadon's bed came today and so his big boy bed is complete. I'll paint the boys room here in the near future. AHHHH, I love a productive day.

Cody is officially on solids and had his 1st taste of green beans today, but with solids comes poop. We only got soiled diapers from him every 7 to 14 days and now it's about every two days. Tonight he had the blow out of the century so we put all the kids in the shower tonight and let them play a while. Also, if you run you finger across Cody's bottom gums, you can feel his 1st tooth breaking through.

New photos

A Long Lost Friend Found...

The other day I tracked down my best friend from High School to whom I haven't spoken with in over 20 years. I know she will be visiting our blog soon so this is for her.

Michelle, I hope you enjoy the photos (from Prom and Epcot) and I'm sooooo glad to have found you. Our senior year together in Panama City to this day stands out in my mind as one of the most fun years of my life. I have so many WONDERFUL memories and have missed you throughout the years. My family says 'hi' and sends their love as well. Can't wait to talk to you more. LOVE YOU GIRL!!!!

Sunday

On Sunday we put the kids down for naps. The girls in their new beds and Jadon in his crib. A couple hours later, Jadon came downstairs after climbing out of his crib, so we packed up the family and bought a big boy bed.

We are also thinking about putting Cody back on solids. We posted a while back he had started solids, but then he got sick and his appetite when way down, so we stopped and since then he's been happy with 32oz a day. Wow, 7 months old and still on bottles!! I LOVE IT!!!

Growing up

Well, my babies are growing up.... On Sunday we purchased 2 twin beds for the girls. Addison has been climbing out of her crib at naptime, so it seemed time. We moved Jadon into Cody's room but are keeping him in his crib for a while since he seems happy there. Now we have the boys room and the girls room. I was afraid the transition would be difficult, but thus far we haven't had any problems. The girls have not gotten out of their beds at all (once the lights go out at night) and the naps are no more difficult than they were with their cribs. So far so good. I'm sure we will have problems down the road, but all is good for now. The girls LOVE their new beds and Kaylee gets very upset if anyone touches her bed, "No Jadon, This is MY bed!!" and Jadon doesn't seem to care what's going on. He is content to sleep wherever we put him.

Now I'm just excited to start redecorating the girl's room.

Dancing

Well, I discovered a way around bloggers slow video upload process, YouTube.... whatever works. Although we watch VERY LITTLE tv, we are happy to see Dancing with the Stars will be starting up again soon as the babies love to dance along.

Facebook

I recently signed up for Facebook in order to watch a video posted by my cousin and after playing with it a few days, I have to say I'm not sure I get it.... It's kinda like a blog and a place to share photos and video, but it also includes "what you are doing now" posts which I can't say add a whole lot of value. I guess it's IM meets Blogs. It is the easiest way I've found to share video thus far so I might keep it a while, but I can tell I'm getting old as technology and the need for idol chat is quickly passing me by. : )

The Terrible Twos... not soo terrible.

When the triplets were born, I thought every age was the best age, but each age just seems to be getting better and better. Now that Cody has come along, I realize nothing is sweeter than the smell of a baby or warms the heart like those little laughs and smiles, but for the most part babies sleep, poop, eat, and cry. But at 2 years old, those same little babies crack jokes, imitate you, converse, and communicate. Last night I asked Kaylee to eat some her sandwich since she hadn't even tasted it. Jadon put a piece of the sandwich on his fork, held it out for Kaylee and said "just one bite," which is a motto in our house and when Addison said she was done eating Jadon held out a bite her way and said, "Last bite, just one more bite." "Last bite" is my way of trying to get just one more morsel into their mouths. Kaylee has been singing Jesus Love Me a lot recently and she knows all the words. They know their alphabet, colors, and numbers and love to learn. We play and talk and have fun and watching them interact with each other is funnier than words can describe.

I have to say 18 months to 2 years was hard because the communication wasn't there yet. If they had to wait just one minute for their drink they would melt down, but now they understand I'm making the drink and it will just be a minute. They also understand consequences now so we are once again eating out as a family.

They aren't napping as well as they once did (as I am listening to them sing the Noah's Ark song over the baby monitor now), but they do play in their beds for two hours each day. Thus far, I am LOVING the twos and can't wait to see what each future age brings.

A true cost/benefit comparison

Robert's US Government Info Blog
By Robert Longley, About.com Guide to US Government Info since 1997

The Cost to Raise a Child Today
Friday March 28, 2008

A middle income family with a child born in 2007, will pay a total of $204,060 to care for that child until its 18th birthday, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In its latest release of The Cost to Raise a Child Today (.pdf), the USDA reports that the cost to feed a child has decreased over the past several years, the costs of child care and education have increased substantially.
"For a middle-income, two-parent, two-child family, expenses for one child ranged from $10,930 to $12,030, per year depending on the age of the child, with expenditures on teenagers being the highest."
According to the USDA, the overall cost of raising a child has increased 15 percent from 1960 to 2007. Compared to today’s $204,060, the cost to raise a child through age 17 in 1960 was $25,230.

Here is a fun tool for calculating the cost of raising a child through college....
http://www.babycenter.com/cost-of-raising-child-calculator

You might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your money?

a.. Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
b.. Glimpses of God every day.
c.. Giggles under the covers every night.
d.. More love than your heart can hold.
e.. Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
f.. Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
g.. A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
h.. A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
i.. Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.


You get to:

a.. finger-paint,
b.. carve pumpkins,
c.. play hide-and-seek,
d.. catch lightning bugs, and
e.. never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:

a.. keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
b.. watching Saturday morning cartoons,
c.. going to Disney movies, and
d.. wishing on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

You get to be a hero just for:

a.. retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
b.. taking the training wheels off a bike,
c.. removing a splinter,
d.. filling a wading pool,
e.. coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the:

a.. first step,
b.. first word,
c.. first bra,
d.. first date, and
e.. first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, So . . one day they will like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!

After much delay

Well, after much delay Cody is finally on solids. I was hoping to keep him on a bottle until he was off to college, but he has started waking up before his morning bottle is due and sucking all his bottles down throughout the day.... so it is time. On Friday night we gave him his 1st taste of cereal. Of course the initial reaction was "@%$@# I'm HUNGRY... what the @#$@% is THIS???" So we gave him his bottle. Once the bottle was down and he was happier we tried again. He seemed confused the 1st couple of bites, not knowing what to do with the paste in his mouth, but soon realized YUMMMMM..... and opened for more. However, all he knows is how to suck, so he would start sucking the moment the spoon approached his lips. He looked like a little fish. He is still working on learning how to swallow, but all in all is doing great and loving this new experience.

A Commercial Worth Watching

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2CaBR3z85c

Oooohhhh How True it is....

TELL ME ABOUT IT ®
By Carolyn HaxWednesday, May 23, 2007; Page C10

Here is just part of "TELL ME ABOUT IT"

When you have young kids, your typical day is: constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, clean, dressed; to keeping them out of harm's way; to answering their coos, cries, questions; to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys, and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear; to keeping them from unshelving books at the library; to enforcing rest times; to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, any one of which produces the kind of checkout-line screaming that gets the checkout line shaking its head.
It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15.
It's constant vigilance, constant touch, constant use of your voice, constant relegation of your needs to the second tier.
It's constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family and friends, well-meaning and otherwise. It's resisting constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone's long-term expense.
It's doing all this while concurrently teaching virtually everything -- language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity. Empathy. Everything.
It's also a choice, yes. And a joy.

To enjoy the full article go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/22/AR2007052201554.html

The Kiddos