RAISING 3 LITTLE MONKEYS

A little time to catch up...

2009-03-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, what's better than the weather in Colorado?!?
Sunday we spent all day outside in the nice 75 degree weather and today, Thursday, we are sitting inside watching as the drifts of snow enclose our doors! Its truly amazing! I love it! If the wind wasn't here I'd take the kids out sledding. But that wind is nasty right now. I couldn't tell if it was still snowing or if the wind was just blowing the snow around.
Anyway, the kids are napping and I actually have some time to update our blog! How long has it been? Months? Yikes!!
Lets see here...
We had Drake evaluated for his lack of speech and realized that as soon as we scheduled the appointment (it took 3 weeks!) we noticed that he his vocabulary was sprouting. We took him in initially because we thought he just didn't show any interest in talking.
Oh, sorry, here is a little cute thing I just saw outside...a neighbor riding around on his snowmobile! How fun!!
Back to my story, sorry! Their doc didn't see any real concerns for it, but I pushed for it. Turns out the booger is just fine. Passed with normal to high flying colors for most of the testings. He was close to not until the very end when no one was paying any attention to him, he finally spoke a few words that were able to give him the passing grade! He's just an odd child, hmm, he resembles his mom the most! :) I'm ok with that though! So he is still continuing with his new vocab and loving it. He tries to say just about everything we say. Of course he's still my shy guy and is VERY quiet around other people. It takes him the longest to warm up. He loves his books and reading. I have a spot in their room where I sit and read to them before nap and bed and if he gets out of his bed before the others are awake, I'll catch him reading a book in my spot. It's absolutely adorable!
On to Dane: My sweet blue eyed boy. He's a wreckless typical boy! When I look into his eyes, I just never know what is gonna happen next. He just has that mysterious look to him. He loves his Daddy and his Papa. Well all 3 love their Papa, but Dane runs right up to him and gives him big hugs every time. He loves reading too. Its pretty hard though when all 3 are trying to point to something in the book and they get a little carried away at times. If he is awake with Drake, I'll find the 2 of them sitting in my spot. Or sometimes if they're all up, they're in Ava's crib (which happens to be on the opposite side of the room!). The boys love getting out of bed. Daddy has had a few hard times with them the last 2 weeks. But who could get mad when you go in their room and you hear this sweet little voice say "hello". Dane is a talker. Most of the time its understandable, but there are a few things that just do not sound like what we are saying. I love them trying to learn though. Its too cute!
Princess Ava! She's still a Momma's girl. She is now starting to try and get out of being in trouble by giving hugs! If she gets scoulded, she immediately asks for a hug. And then a kiss. Makes punishing tough! At times I think she really tries to egg her brothers on. She'll run up and steal a toy from them and have them chase her around the house. And of course she's yelling at the top of her lungs while the boys are screaming "NO!" She has the most words out of all of them and she says them the best. She is Mommy's princess! Though she isn't spoiled by me.
We're learning our ABC's and counting to 10. They just repeat what I say. Ava and Drake count from 1-2-1. And its quite strange how they know how many 2 is. We'll be walking/driving and see 2 dogs, cows, horses, etc and they'll say "2 puppies" or "2 cows". Amazing to me.
The boys have been escaping their beds for about 2 months now. Ava has zero interest. She'll call out for us until we come rescue her. But the good thing with the boys, they won't do it for me until naptime/bedtime is over. Plus we can hear any movement thru the monitor. Daddy is the only one that seems to have a hard time with them. Not sure why that is. I would love to move them to toddler beds, but I love nap time! Who knows, maybe when my work schedule starts slowing down, we'll go ahead with it.
I think this is long enough for now! :)
Sorry to all if you have stuck with me!

3 against 1

2009-02-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

And its not fair! Yes, I may be acting like a 2 year old at this point. But who could blame me? When you're around them all day, you may as well start acting like them!

I believe the "terrible two's" are beginning. Or we deep in them. Not sure which. I am at a loss here with them. If its not the fighting, pushing, hitting, screaming "NO!" or "MINE!" at eachother, that means they're asleep! Oh, if they're getting along, about 1/4 of the time, its gang up on Mommy. Lately, ha, who am I kidding with "lately", during meal times, if they are not hungry it becomes an all out food fight. Seriously! I will ask them "are you done?" "NO!" and pretend to eat just so they get to keep their plates. And they then continue to toss their food. What am I to do? I don't want them to starve, but I guess they are just telling me they're done.

Who knows!?!?

We are really working on using "yes" these days. They can say it, but "no" still comes out as every answer. The tantrums are spreading like wild fires too. The other day, I was trying to get them in the car to go visit auntie and baby and Dane threw himself on the concrete in the garage and screamed "NO!" So I got the other 2 in the truck and started it up and made it look like I was getting ready to leave without him. Sure enough, I saw him peeking around the truck to see where I was. And he came galavanting towards me, climbed right into his seat and behaved himself. But on the way home from Auntie's house, he did the same thing. Not sure what else to try. My sister said she would've watched him if I left, just to maybe put it in his head, Mommy's not faking it! But I was already stressed out.

Well, I never wanted this blog to have negative thoughts on it, but I can't help myself anymore. I'll try to look at the bright side and hopefully cope with the rest of today. I actually have to work, so I'll have a nice break from them this evening.

Oh, we finally got another camera! So here are a few recent pics!

Outside riding our bikes! It was pretty cold, but they don't care!

This is our favorite perch. On the kitchen table looking out the window. Scares me, but I can't stop a monkey from climbing!

Flashback

2009-01-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged by a friend Denise through her blog to participate in a fun "Meme". What you do is go to one of your picture folders, open the 5th folder and then open the 5th picture. Post it on your blog with a brief description and then tag 5 of your friends to do the same.

I had to do a bit of a variation for mine, as the 5th photo wasn't even of my kids! So I didn't want to post someone elses child on my blog.

Here is my 5th folder, 5th picture. Its my MIL Kathie teaching Drake to hold his head up. Its just such an amazing photo to me. We've been so blessed to have 2 of the kids' Grandma's here in town. They've been so wonderful and so very helpful. They love their grandkids and love to spoil them!

Thanks for including me in a game of "flashback!" I love looking back at photos of when the monkeys were little. Makes me want to have more, but I'm perfectly happy with what God has given us!

I'm tagging...

1. Christie at Liam and the Girls

2. Deanna at Burke Triplets

3. Heidi at Thorstad Triplets

Everyone else has already has been tagged! I could only come up with 3! How lame! If you read this and want to participate, just let me know! I'd love to check out your "flashback!"

Naps...

2009-01-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

I have no idea what day this is on our "no paci" trip. I can't say we did it with ease as I was really wanting/hoping/praying it would happen. No its been a nightmare and they've started a new trend. Exhibitionism!!! Word spelling, I don't know, but they LOVE to be naked! Not just any time of the day though, during nap time.
Friday it took them forever to fall asleep and once they did, it was for maybe an hour! Of all the days I really needed a nap and they chose to be monsters! 3 1/2 hours of sleep for Momma means Momma isn't happy and not in a good mood.
It seems to be only during nap time that they decide to become monsters too. Because Dadda says they are perfect and maybe cry for 15 minutes at bedtime! AAAHHHH! He did have them all day Saturday and was able to see them in action for nap time. But he said they fell asleep within 30 minutes and no taking off of the clothes! WHAT?? Is it just me? Do they know how to push my buttons? Well, come to find out, they only slept an hour that day too.
Today was alright. I pretended (I actually did fall asleep though) to take a nap with them. We read a story and I closed the blinds and I laid down. They each slowly laid down after a few minutes of jumping and yelling. I think they were each asleep after 15 minutes. I left their room about 10 minutes after that. But now I am hearing them wake up. Its been 45 minutes!
I don't understand!!! I am definetely not ready for a no nap lifestyle! I love my time and plus I need that time to get ready for work!
A few triplet friends recommended a few books, so looks like I'll be reading every chance I get!

GRRRR...

2009-01-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

Well, lets just say yesterday was a piece of cake compared to today!
They did ok last night. 35 minutes isn't too bad?!?! And they slept amazing! Drake stirred once (that I know of!) and I didn't go in, he fell back asleep on his own. This morning, they woke up a little early, but were in great spirits!
On to today...
I had an eye appointment right about the time that I would start heading them upstairs for a nap. So I'm guessing that had a little to do with them not falling asleep easily. Well, that and my sister's husband came by to watch them (they're having a kid real soon, so he wanted to see if he could handle it, although its totally different with just one). I think they were wound up from having a "friend" over as well.
It is now 1:45pm. I put them down at 11:30! And they have just now asleep! Am I wrong for keeping them in there that long, probably, but I knew they were exhausted. They didn't cry that whole time, oh no, they threw all their lovies, blankets, shirts, pants, onsies oh and yes, their diapers on the floor! It was a big party in there! Thank God I changed both Dane and Ava before they decided to take their diapers off. But I changed both Drake and Ava's sheets twice due to them peeing. Yes twice I went in there and they were naked! UGH!!! Duct tape here we come!!
So I don't know if that whole fiasco would have been any better with paci's or not. But I didn't give in and they still don't have a paci!!
Hopefully Dadda can handle this evening on his own. Momma has to work!

I'm going to do it!!

2009-01-07T12:17:00.000-08:00

I'm finally going to say no more paci's!!!
Wish me luck! I don't know why I decided to do it today, but I thought, hey why not! I don't want to jinx myself by telling you all on how it went, but here's how the morning nap went or is still going...
I put them in their cribs around 11am this morning and tucked them in, gave them their lovies/babies and slowly walked out of the room. Drake and Ava were so confused and started screaming immediately. My normal routine is to hand them their pacis and tuck them in. So, anything out of the ordinary is just downright ridiculous to them. So I calmly told them that "Momma is washing all the paci's, so you won't get one for naptime." And then walked out of the room.
Dane was asleep almost instantly. I would've figured he'd be fighting right along side of Drake. He must have been ready to give it up. Which I find odd because he really is the main reason we still do paci runs in the middle of the night!
At about 12:30, Drake woke up crying. I thought, great, naptime is over and he hardly got any sleep. He's going to be a nightmare later this evening. I went up and tucked him back in without saying a word. Key thing right there, DON'T say anything to them!
So here it is, 1:30pm and I haven't heard from anyone! I'm beside myself right now! I really don't expect it to be like this tonight though. I bet all 3 cry for awhile.
Now, I just have to train Dadda and I to not give in! I hid the paci's from Dadda, because he would ruin it!
I'll let ya know how tonight goes!

We have a mina bird!

2009-01-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if that's how you spell it, but we have one! And I believe it won't be long until we have 3!
Ava has started to say just about everything. She picks up on every word we say, so we've really had to watch what we say. Dadda accidentally let the B word slip and wouldn't ya know it, she said it. Of course it's absolutely innocent and so adorable, but I don't exactly want my daughter walking around saying curse words.
Its so much fun now that they are all starting to pick up on words too. We've been working on saying the alphabet. Both Dane and Ava can say the letters when I say it to them. Drake on the other hand really doesn't care. I talked to his doc about it, because it worries me. He really just has zero interest in learning or talking. His attention span is so short. His doc referred me to have him get a hearing test done, though I know he hears me just fine, and a referral just to get evaluated. Which, I wanted a long time ago! But he's the doc and just kept telling me to "wait and see". Don't Mom's know best?
For those of you who remember that we put our house on the market, oh maybe 6 months ago, we've had only a handful of showings since that darn bailout. We had one yesterday who hasn't even put their house on the market! Duh, don't make me clean my house to impress a potential buyer who isn't even the market to buy right now! I think our realtor was a little ticked by that too. The market is just not that easy. At least my hubby and I agreed on a place to move if/when our house sells. But our realtor also told us not to look until we have a solid buyer. Understandably so, I don't want to get my hopes up on a house and be shot down because we have to sell this one. Oh, I hate moving!!!
On that note, I hope everyone has a wonderful 2009! Ours started off great and I'm really looking forward to it. Should be a ton of fun with 2 year olds! I keep dreaming of all the things we'll be doing in the spring and summer! Though we need to get through the winter first. I'm hoping it snows again soon, so the monkeys can finally wear their new snowsuits and boots and we can go sledding!!

Random pictures

2008-12-20T10:04:00.001-08:00

Birthday cupcakes

Dane loved the frosting.

Drake shoved the whole cupcake in his mouth!

My handsome little men!

Ava and her first haircut!

Dane, love the look!

Drake

Ava

Thanksgiving at my parents

2 weeks ago...

2008-12-19T10:54:00.000-08:00

Ha, its been a month since I last posted. But little do you all know, I did post and lost the whole darn thing!! GRRRR! It was a good one, but of course I don't remember all that it said.
The monkeys had a wonderful birthday. On their actual birthday we took them to McDonald's playland for the first time. The one by our house is pretty cool, its set up mainly for toddlers and young kids. Dane was the only one that made it into the actual tunnels. He got there by climbing up the slide! Then he couldn't get down. So I had to coax him towards the entrance and climb up and help him down. I don't know why he just didn't go down the slide, but oh well. All in all, they had a great birthday.
Their birthday party was the following weekend. As usual there were a lot of people. They had a few friends over, but none of them were their triplet friends. They recieved so many gifts they didn't know what to do! They almost didn't make it past their first gifts. They wanted to play with those right away. I had to make them open the rest. They got really cool books, games, blocks and some hooked on phonics electronic things. What a great birthday party!
At their 2 year checkup, my mom came with to help with the other two while I took them in one by one. Usually I take all 3 in and never get a chance to explain to the doctor individually who they are. This time, I wanted to do it differently. They enjoyed the little time that we shared one on one. As did their doctor. I was able to explain who each child is and any concerns I had with them. They did have to get one shot each. I did my best to deter their attention away from it and I did with the boys. They flinched but never cried. Ava was the one that cried. And she limped around for a bit afterwards. Drama queen!
Dane: 25.4 lbs.; 33.75 inches tall; unfortunately he had an ear infection, but is in good health
Drake: 25.9 lbs; 34.5 inches tall; he was given a clean bill of health!
Ava: 25.6 lbs; 33.5 inches tall; also given a clean bill of health!

We had been blessed so far this "flu season" with not having any symptoms. Til this past weekend. I don't have any idea where it came from, but man it hit us hard and somewhat quick. The monkeys and I went to my dads Christmas party on saturday and had a great time. On the way home, Drake started choking on his vomit. I didn't know it until Ava says "uh oh Momma". Thats when I turned around and saw that he was covered in vomit. I got to the shoulder of the road as fast as I could (people probably thought I was a nut) and grabbed him out of the seat. He was ok, but shaken up. We got home and they took an almost 3 hour nap! I thought maybe it was just that he had eaten too much junk until Ava started puking in her bed. She was unconsolable (sp?) and threw up about 5 times. It continued into the night and thats when I got it. I was at work though. UGH! I had a stomach all day but I finally got sick about 10pm and it lasted until morning. It lasted only a few days thankfully and we are better now.

I wanted to write more, but nap time is now over!!!

2 weeks and counting...

2008-11-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

Its a little less than 2 weeks before the monkeys turn 2, but my oh my are they hittin the terrible twos!
Its just amazing to see such sweet little babies grow and mature (ok, trying to at least) into these creatures who look like little adults. They're turning into demons!
If they're not fighting, chasing, hitting, telling eachother "NO!", they're asleep! Most days are better than others, don't get me wrong, we have had more wonderful days than bad, but the bad always seem to stick it out like sore thumbs. I've lost my cool one too many times, which all I get are these sweet, innocent eyes looking up at me, or maybe the grin as they continue on in their demonic ways. I hate losing my cool, its not fair to them and it definetely sucks for me. They don't understand why mommy is so angry. So, I've started reading into Love & Logic. It makes SO much sense! It's very hard to get used to, with all the calm talking and "uh-oh's" instead of the screaming NO'S, but it'll be well worth it in the end. Now all I have to do is get Daddy on the same page as Mommy! Maybe it'll even work for our occasional fights! :) One thing I wish is that we would have read it MUCH earlier, it would've done wonders with Stephen. I trully believe it would have. But that's nor here nor there. A little too late.

I can't believe how far they've come with their speaking. Oh, they're definetely not talking, but at least they try to say words or repeat what I say. Ava and Dane moreso than Drake. He's always off in his little world not really caring what we do.
Dane is the alpha male. No one does anything without his permission, which he doesn't understand how to give permission, so no one does anything! If the other 2 have a toy, he'll come take it regardless of whether or not he wanted it. They had it and they made it look fun, and he wants to have fun too. Lately, they've been putting up a fight or a chase. That stops when Mommy intervenes and tells Dane to be nice and steers him in a different direction. One of these days it'll work! And believe it or not, Dane is the smallest in the group. But he's the strongest! He was the first born, born in his own minute. He is definetely taking on the role of the "oldest" child. Dane can say most animal sounds (moo, meow, woof-woof, baa), melmo (Elmo), Bye, hi.

Drake, my introvert. My sweet little man who is just so needy at times, but yet so independent. He gets into these weird, crazy moods where he runs around and makes these very odd noises. But he loves it and he giggles to himself. Ava has really taken a liking to dominating him. She will chase him down, throw him down, really anything for no particular reason too. Maybe just to hear him cry, I don't know. He and Ava share the same minute at birth. Although she picks on him, I think Drake and Ava will be the closest. Drake is also taking on the role of being the "middle" child. He doesn't say much, although I know he knows the word. He does the same animal sounds as Dane.

Ava, Mommy's little girl! I'm still waiting for the day when she becomes Daddy's girl like everyone has told me. But she has always been closest to me. She loves her Daddy, but if I'm home, she is sitting with me. She loves to sit on my lap. She has to hold my hand going down the stairs, although she is perfectly capable of going down on her own. She is the princess! No doubt about it. Most people think that she is younger than the boys on first glance, but I don't know how. Once the smallest, she's now the biggest! By that I mean the heaviest! She's still about an inch shorter than Dane, almost 2 inches shorter than Drake. We rub her buddha belly when she lifts her shirts, I hear it brings good luck!! :) I would say she is also taking the role as the "baby" of the group. But she remains the smartest. I hear her try to repeat everything I say. So cute.
Unfortunately I believe that because of all of their ear problems, it may be a reason for lack of speech. But we'll see what the doc says in a few weeks at their checkup.
I must shower and get ready for work before naptime gets over...

2008-11-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

In front of our house, ready for "trick or treating"

Boo at the Zoo

I love the seasons changing and how beautiful it is, but what it brings is another story. My poor little monkeys are sick. And when they get sick, its inevitable that they'll get ear infections. Oh and not just in one ear, its usually both. Yep, so as Mommy and Daddy dragged them around on Halloween, with runny noses and all, their ears were hurting. Don't get me wrong, they LOVED it. Once they finally understood that if they held out their little bags, and went up to someones door, they would get something dropped into their bags. I don't think they grasped the whole idea or that it was candy being dropped in it, but they sure thought it was fun.

We started off around our neighborhood, which was nice, we recieved at least 3 babysitting offers!

Feeding the geese our snacks at the zoo

I took them to the doctor yesterday not expecting to be there for 3 hours!! It was a nightmare! Never again will I take them without their wagon. They were tired, hungry and sick. They were being good, but they were running around everywhere. I just felt like all eyes were on me and I hate it when you can feel yourself being judged by other people. I'm so not the type of person to ask for help, but yesterday was one of those days where I really needed it! And I think this one woman could read it on my face. I was moments away from breaking down (I eventually did) when she asked me if she could help. She didn't really ask, because she did it anyway! I was so relieved and I think she knew I was on the verge of breaking down. I felt absolutely horrible. I cried the entire way home!

Pumpkin carving

I learned my lesson and I'll never try that again! The monkeys are napping, so I'll try to upload some pictures from Halloween and this past week!

Below-At our church's party-Daddy was a doctor, Mommy was a nurse

Pictures

2008-10-10T14:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pictures taken at Grammy & Papa's house. My husband would be so happy to see one of him on here! It's just that we don't ever have someone to take a picture of us!

Top from left to right:

-Mommy & Ava & Dane

-Ava after ripping her piggy tails out! Her hair was hysterical and the look on her face said it all!

- Dane look ever so cool on Grammy's 4 wheeler! She later gave each a ride on it! They loved it!

-Grammy & Ava

-Drake & big cousin Damien

-the boys patiently waiting their turn for the 4 wheeler!

-And Mommy & Daddy, its actually a great picture! I'm shocked!

22 months

2008-10-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, the monkeys are 2 months away from being 2! I'm shocked, not only because time has gone pretty quick, but also that we've made it thus far! I remember being scared to death about how on earth we would ever be able to care for three babies. Never did we think about what it would be like after the first year! So for us to make it almost through 2 years, is quite amazing.
So the monkeys have really been saying more, not exactly real words just yet, but boy are they trying. We'll take every word we can get at this point! Its so cute when they do say something new.
Oh and the hitting, pushing, stealing toys is getting exhausting. One of them is in time-out at least 5 times a day. And that's not including the times I just tell them to stop. At times they seem to really get annoyed with one another, but most of the time they are giggling and playing together.
They have started taking only one nap a day which is ok, but it does put some stress on the evenings as they do get pretty cranky right before dinner. But lately they have been sleeping until 7:15 instead of 6:30. So with less sleep during the day means more sleep at night, I'll take it!
Our house is on the market, meaning we have to keep everything in tip-top shape. That is exhausting. Not saying that our house is ever really dirty, but making sure every toy is picked up sucks! We've had quite a bit of lookers, one maybe, but no takers. I think the economy is not helping with that at all. I'm actually a bit nervous about it!
And here they go fighting, catch up again later...

The storm is over

2008-09-07T10:59:00.001-07:00

Wow, its Sunday the 7th of September already? Where the heck did this last week go? I really don't even know what day it is.

I haven't posted 2 weeks and so much has happened. The DNC went ok, not great, but we made it through. The CNN Grill, which took over our restaurant, was voted in the best top 5 things of the DNC. How cool is that? What an amazing experience to be able to be a part of all of it too! I met some really cool people too while they were here. Oh not to mention all the celebrities that came in, Ashley Judd, Charlize Theron, Charles Barkley, Caroline Kennedy and her family, Maria Shriver and so many more. The hours were long, but in the end it turned out to be a blast. Unfortunately, Brooklyn's now looks like a tornado came through and we are still cleaning up. That's not so cool.

I'm not usually one to toot my own horn or anything, but during the DNC, I did such an amazing job that a few people wanted me to go out to St. Paul and help out for the RNC. EXCITING!!! Well, the fact that I was asked, my trip was paid for, I was paid and I had a great time was amazing. The Republican party was another story, sorry, I'm voting Democratic. It was just a whole other world with Republicans. All in all, the experience was great and I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. I did miss my kids and my husband, but I was so busy the entire time, I really couldn't think about them.

Oh, one more thing, I almost forgot about my sisters wedding! That was the day after the DNC. What a busy couple of weeks I've had! I'm so glad they're over. The wedding was great, she looked beautiful as ever and my kids did great. Only Ava was in the wedding, the boys sat with Daddy and watched and ate snacks. Ava did great, she and her cousin walked down the aisle holding hands, of course they didn't throw any pedals out, but they made it down the aisle. She was a little ansy and wouldn't stand still, but she did great. Grandma took them home after and watched them until we made it home. It was fun. First picture is of me and my best friend Desiree, second is of Emma and Ava, the flower girls. I can't believe I don't have one of me and my sisters! oops

Whew, I did mention that my stress level has gone down a little. But we are putting the house on the market this tuesday. UGH! Moving again, and we still haven't decided where. I'd love to stay here, but Daddy wants to buy some property back in Iowa. Oh, what do we do? I'm torn and lost about it all.

A Mommy vent

2008-08-24T23:25:00.001-07:00

I know I started this to share things with everyone about our kiddos, but today, Mommy needs to vent a little.
It's 12:25am Sunday, oh I think the 25th of August? I just got off from a 12 hour work day from hell. To which it is only the 2nd of at least 8 maybe. Yesterday was another 12 hour work day. I've seen my kids, not to mention my hubby, a total of 4 hours this whole weekend. And to top that off, 2 of them were not on good terms! Gotta love that!
I wasn't going to share our argument, but really it was SO stupid! I had planned on taking the kids to church this morning, before I had to leave for work. I was going to leave him at home to do some things he wanted to get done around the house that he was not able to yesterday, because I was gone all day. Then I realized, hey, why not call up my folks (who meet us at church everytime we go) and see if they wouldn't take the monkeys to church and I could go get my toenails done (today would've been the only day I could before my sisters wedding on Friday). That's a whole other paragraph! But as soon as I get on the phone with my Dad, my hubby yells at me for calling them and "pawning" our children off on them! He's the one who said he needed to get a few things done, I thought I was doing something good, and my parent's would NEVER feel like we were "pawning" our kids off on them. UGH! So a stupid fight that should never have happened. Needless to say, my hubby went to church with the kids and my parents! I showed up later because the stupid nail salon wasn't open!
Which brings me to my toes! My sister is getting married this Friday, the 29th. Am I ready, ha! Far from. I am even the Matron of Honor! At least I have my dress and my Ava's. The boys, I decided will not be in the wedding, they are sitting with Daddy. Though I'm not sure how that will go. I'm not sure how the whole thing is going! I'm one for a set agenda and so far I have no agenda for it! Yeah, I'm kinda freakin out! Anyway, I'm hoping to get my toenails done wednesday, thanks to my mom.
I probably should have mentioned why all the craziness right now at work. Someone has allowed all of the Democrats into the state of Colorado and I happen to work right next door to where it is all taking place! I'm thinking Mother Nature wasn't too thrilled today about the whole thing, because she dropped a giant tornado only 22 miles south of Denver! Back to the DNC, CNN bought out our restaurant, Brooklyn's. If anyone is reading this, God Bless You, but take a look at the CNN website and just look at the CNN Grill. That's us, Brooklyn's. I took a few pics of the place yesterday and some today, it's a complete disaster! And we're open for the full swing of things tomorrow. So today was kind of like a "mock trial" of how CNN wants us to run things. They came in and have completely taken over our building. I am no longer a manager but someone who hears complaints from my staff and I have no idea what I'm doing! Gotta love it!
I'm guessing most of this is not making sense to some, but I'm drained. You ask, why am I still up? Good question, well, I am enjoying a nice strong alcoholic drink before I take a nap and my kiddos wake up. I'm hoping that the alcohol can counter-act my nerves and allow me to sleep. I had terrible nightmares about CNN Grill last night and I'm not looking forward to it tonight.
And not to mention, my nerves are completely shot knowing that I have 4 nights of this and then my sisters wedding. Why, why, why?
If you are really still reading this, thank you for listening! I'm hoping I'll still be around to write about how it all actually went! Oh, one cool thing that did happen today, Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper came in for our "mock trial". That was pretty neat. AC is a pretty good looking older guy.

Just another day...

2008-08-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend together. Well, I worked Saturday night, but we were able to spend most of the day together. Daddy had the monkeys watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, see picture. A very unusual seat, but hey they loved it!

Sunday we took them to church. Most of the time, Drake has a breakdown and doesn't want us to leave him in the classroom. But this time, all 3 went right in, let go of our hands and went straight to all the toys! Amazing! And when church was done, I went in to get them, and they were all playing with other kids! I was so excited. Oh and they didn't want to leave. It was great! My parents offered lunch after and so we met up with them at IHOP (their favorite) and ate. Usually the kids go down anywhere from 9:30am to 10:30am for a nap so they didn't get a morning nap. The boys did great, but oh Ava was possessed! Apparently she doesn't do very well without a nap. She was screaming and yelling and just not listening to us at all. She was ok and we all were able to eat, but I've never seen her act like that. The boys fell asleep on the way home and Ava was fast asleep as soon as we layed them all down. They slept for about 2 hours. So that was nice.

Drake got another hair cut, Ava still has yet to get one. This time, the lady cut way too much of his hair off! I loved his long hair, but it did really need to be cut. Just not that short! Its almost as short as Danes. :(

This is the last week I am watching my nephew. I actually couldn't be happier! I know that sounds awful, and I really do love him to pieces, but sometimes, I just love having my break from him. I will probably miss the help that he gave when we went places though. He was such a great helper, but he also tried WAY too hard at the same time. Which would only cause more stress on me. He's going into 2nd grade! Woohoo!

My other sister actually asked me if I could watch her kids (almost 3yrold, and an almost 2month old) from 8-5, 5 days a week! I wish I could say yes, but there is absolutely no way I could do it. Unless, I didn't go anywhere. But even then, my work hours will be increasing once the hockey and basketball season is here and me getting off of work at 3am and then waking up with my kids at 6:30am and doing it all over again...NO WAY!! I can barely do it now with my kids! I just feel awful having to tell her no.

Here's a great picture of Daddy and his boys Sunday.

Preparing for a trip to Iowa, a week early!

2008-08-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

So we leave for Iowa next thursday night and our plan is to leave at bedtime. So instead of putting the kids down in their cribs, we're hoping and praying they'll fall asleep in the carseats. They do great, but the longest they've ever slept in them is about 30 minutes. So, I don't know what to expect from that.
I've tried to come up with a set of plans, I'm such a planner and if things don't go the way I plan, oh I go crazy. So I've tried to come up with something and I think we might end up just winging it. I don't know how my kids will react to a 13 hour drive in their carseats, so planning something would just be silly. Not to mention, it would just make me go insane. And once we get there, I don't have a clue what we'll do. Chad and I will be extremely tired and they will be ready to venture out into the new Iowa world. I'm hoping that Grandma Tina and Aunties will be of great assistance at that point. I know it'll all go smooth, and if it doesn't, oh well. We do what we know how to do and go one step at a time. Right? We hope in the right direction most of the time! :)
I'll keep you all posted!

New news

2008-08-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

Ah, so much has happened since my last post. Or has it? Oh, I can't remember everything! Somewhere along the road of my triplet pregnancy I seemed to have lost my memory, my train of thoughts and who knows what! I've gained some of it back, but not much, so please bare with me!

We've had some pretty hot days around here. We broke the record of 16 days over 90 degrees! It went to something like 22 days! And they weren't right at 90 they were in the upper 90's with at least 3-4 days of 100+! Makes for a lot of time inside. Which brings me to...

My kids are outdoorsmen! Everytime they have they want to spend it outside! Which is ok for me in the mornings because I like to take them walking/running around our lake. They do pretty good for about an hour and then they want OUT! And every time we pass by the park, I know I'm mean for not letting them play, they cry out and try to climb out. Mommy is just hot and ready for the a/c at that point.

Last week I met up with an old friend from work who's daughter is about 4 months younger than these guys. We had lunch at my restaurant and then went over to The Aquarium. The Aquarium is a giant fish tank full of all sorts of different fishies and stuff! We had gone when the kids were like 4 months old (they had no clue where they were at that point!) and decided to go again before they get too old and we have to start paying for them. They loved it! They were in such awe and amazement that they just couldn't stop looking up and all around. It was so cute.

I decided, well, because it wasn't that busy at that little area, to let all 3 out of the wagon. Thinking I had my girlfriend there, which she was a HUGE help, things wouldn't be so bad. Well, my 7 year old nephew was too into the whole place that he wasn't paying attention to any of the kids and Ava, who has a mind of her own, took off with a crowd that had passed thru! My girlfriend, Candice, grabbed her, thank God, as I attempted to put the boys back in the wagon. Oh, you would've thought Drakes world had just ended! He pitched a fit, a very high pitched fit and would not stop! I was mortified and try to scurry out of there with a screaming child as fast as I could! Thankfully we came up to a giant fish tank that we walked under and he fell silent in amazement. He calmed down after that and we were able to enjoy the other attractions, the tigers, the octopus, the stingrays and a whole bunch of sharks.

Lessons learned: take an extra pair of open hands; keep kids in wagon; and give paci much sooner!

Daddy's b-day party at Grandmas

2008-07-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

Happy 34th Daddy! Happy 14th Steph!

I always get a kick out of telling people that we have 6 people in our house, to which we only have 3 birthdays! Dad and Steph are exactly 20 years apart! Kind of neat for Dad,

not always for Steph. Oh well, some day it will mean more to him.

So for their b-days we went to Grandma Kath's house, which if you remember was our old house. She has made it such a great home! I don't miss the small spaces, but with her stuff, it makes it look much bigger! And then I walked out in the backyard, I almost cried! It's a real yard and its fenced and the deck is huge and...I wanted the house back! Nah, but I really miss the space outside and being able to not have to worry about a street and no fence!

Ok, I'm done whining over that. We had a great time. My family came and we got to see a few old neighbors we haven't seen since we moved. We ate a lot, its almost a given when we have family bbq's. But its always a good time. The kids loved it! They especially loved their new cousin Noah. Each one got to hold him, Ava even kissed him! So cute! But that's as close as we'll get to another baby! LOL

I just realized I didn't get any pictures of the b-day boys...oops!

Our 4th of July

2008-07-18T06:45:00.001-07:00

We had a great 4th of July. Daddy had to work for a little bit in the morning and then Mommy had to go to work in the evening, but the day was great.

We took the monkeys on a walk around our lake and let them play at the playground. They had such a great time. They really are a bunch of monkeys! Not a lot of kids were, which made it great.

Daddy's a great photographer!

2008-06-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

I just love it when I come home and see new photos of the monkeys! Daddy had a great time catching these shots. I especially love Drake's smile!

18 month checkup

2008-05-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

We had our 18 month well baby checkup today. And Mommy had to do it all by herself. Thank goodness for good babies!
I just love walking into Kaiser with the train in tow and have everyone turn to watch us walk in. I hear all the whispers and some people actually do pipe up and ask, but Mom was in a hurry this morning so we didn't catch eye contact with anyone! Is it just me or do you other MOM's sweat like crazy? Too much info? Sorry, maybe it's the stress of loading/unloading, walking a 1/2 mile because the truck is too big to park close or that I'm just sick? Who knows, I sweat!
Riding the elevator is always a work of art, as soon as the door closes (and hopefully no one boards with us) we have to manuever the train so we can get back out. As we approach the desk, everyone in the waiting area is just in awe and once again the whispers begin, the lady (whom we have come to know well) hands me 3 packets of info that I am supposed to fill out and give to the doctor. I'm still on the first page and the kids' names get called. Ok, hurry up and pack all the stuff and head into the exam room. All the while the kids are just being so wonderful! Like I said before, thank goodness for good babies!
Nurse comes in and checks each one of them while in the train and then I have to get them undressed for their weights. I'm a smart Mommy and put Ava in a cute skirt with a diaper cover and then a onsie underneath! Way to go Mom! But I'm a pro and it takes only seconds. And thank goodness they love to be naked! The boys were a piece of cake, shirt and shorts, done.
Dane: 20lbs 13oz (2%) 2'9" tall (66%) I believe he weighs more than that, he was being sqeamish on the scale
Drake: 22lbs 5oz (9%) 2'9" tall (73%) He had to get checked twice for height because he wouldn't sit still-I believe he is a little bit taller than Dane
Ava: 20lbs 15oz (8%) 2'7 1/2" tall (47%) There really is no way she is heavier than Dane, but Daddy seems to think its possible
After all that is finished, our doc comes in and checks everyone out. Every part of them is great until he looks at their ears. My sister and I even had bets on who would have an ear infection this time around! We both won! He started with Ava, who at this point could not sit still, and he couldn't even get a reading on his ear thing. Hers were the worst. Then Drake, and he pulled out a ton of wax, sorry TMI! Still no reading for him either. And last was Dane...no reading! Hmmm, I asked is this why they aren't talking? Possibly he says! I feel so awful at this point, but my kids never really gave any signs! Only the runny noses! He put them on medication and said that if they don't get better after ALL the medicine is gone, we might be looking into doing tubes. I had them when I was younger, so I guess it all makes sense.
After all that is done, prescription sent, its shot time!! And I don't mean the shots of alcohol! We were supposed to get 4 each, but since we have to come back in 4 weeks for ear checkups, we'll do 2 now and 2 then. Sounds good to my little ones! They did so good. A bright orange and yellow bandaid on each leg and they were good to go. Only cried for a few minutes. Then they were back to being monkeys again!
Thank goodness for good babies!!

Almost a year and a half

2008-05-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

I'm blown away at how quickly time is flying by. I almost wish I still had my sweet little 4 & 5 pounders! Almost is the key word there. I loved every minute back then, but I am enjoying watching them grow and learn now.
Things have been a bit chaotic this last month. We're hopefully on the mend with our 2nd bout of the sickies. It's so tough too when the monkeys are sick and me! I am on my 2nd round of strep throat since the kids were born! Before them, I wasn't sick for years!! Tells you that these kid germs are AWFUL! We had our very first bout of the flu earlier this month, and I'll tell ya, that was the absolute worst experience of my life!! Although I'm quite sure it will be worse as they get older. No fun!!
We've been to the zoo a few times already. It's such a nice place to go where we get out of the house and Mommy can visit with friends and the kids can run around outside. We do go outside at our house, but it's so frustrating because we don't have a fence. So we're constantly running around corralling them. I understand what a border-collie does now! LOL We have such big plans for the yard, we just have to ask the HOA if it's alright we do it. Only bad thing about an HOA. But it's also a good thing!
We're finally starting to mumble some words. I always thought girls would learn quicker than boys, but Ava is not proving that to be correct. Drake (who has done most things first) is spouting out a few words...S&*t (yeah, he says it!), go, hot, kitty, Hi and he says woof, woof when asked what a puppy says. Dane says go, Hi, hot, kitty, and laughs hysterically when he sees a cat or dog. Ava sometimes says Hi and hot. All 3 will say Momma and Daddy too. They love cats and dogs and older kids just mesmerize them. It's so cute!
We're still on 2 naps, although we have managed a few days where we only have one and they do fine. Before they got sick again, we were taking them to church every Sunday. They do alright, but Drake did have a meltdown this last time. Bawled his eyes out when I left, broke my heart! But he then sat with a girl and almost fell asleep on her lap.
Life is great for us!
Although we are grieving for the loss of my nephew's Daddy. On Saturday night while riding his motorcycle (a little too fast) he hit another vehicle and was killed almost instantly. It just breaks my heart to think that my 7 year old nephew just didn't have enough time with him. I never thought I would be this shaken up, I mean I never really liked the guy, but he still gave me a precious nephew. Damien is taking it ok and he is understanding it, but I just can't get over the fact that his Daddy can't see him grow up. I just can't fathom it, I mean we all take for granted the things we have, but don't realize it until its gone! 7 years is just not enough time! At least he's got an amazing Guardian Angel watching over him!

Remembering...

2008-04-10T07:33:00.000-07:00

My older sister (she's preggo with 1 baby) called me yesterday asking about my symptoms of pre-eclampsia and it just brought back so many memories. Memories that I really hadn't thought about.
So I'm remembering...
I had such a wonderful pregnancy. Although the getting "fat" part was a bit tough to get used to. But it was like night and day for that. I went to bed feeling fat and woke up having a small bump! The thought of having three little hearts, 6 tiny hands/feet, and 3 little souls inside of me was the most amazing feeling ever. Ok, besides the day they were born. I was told I had a wonderful aura all around me. Life was so easy with being able to carry them everywhere I went. Now it takes me at least 45 minutes to get everyone ready! I was such a happy pregnant woman.
My sister asked me what my symptoms were and I really had to think about them. I remember getting a headache that lasted a week, right up until I had the kids. I told her I probably could have had the trio a week before, but I waited to go to the doctor until my next appointment. Which was only 3 days away. But they admitted me that night with pre-eclampsia. I even drove down to my appointment by myself, probably should not have as my eye sight was going due to the pre-eclampsia. Oh well, I made it home after I stopped at work and had a cup of soup.
Chad actually drove me down to the hospital with my bags.
We were definetely not ready for that! We really didn't have a plan set at all. Talk about scrambling. I wasn't supposed to have them yet!
But I thank you sister for allowing me to remember things that I had forgotten!

Spoke too soon

2008-04-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

What a week this has been! We can't really complain, considering the kids are 16 months and this is our first symptoms of the flu we've had!
Monday, while I was at work, all 3 decided they were going to throw up. And not to mention, Daddy was feeling almost as bad as they were! It's one thing when you've got 3 sick kids, but when you're sick too, that just throws you over the edge. So Daddy was up for most of the night cleaning up and making the kids feel better. Go Daddy!
Unfortunately it is now thursday and really nothing has changed. Tuesday night was the worst night. We each got up with one of the kids at least 10 times. What makes it worse is that they didn't throw up, but they were just dry heaving. Poor little things!
And it's so hard to figure out what to feed them. I know they can't handle food, but their little bodies need nutrition. Ugh! I just feel so bad for them. No one has thrown up today, but oh man their diapers are awful. I won't go into detail about it, but I do have a funny story.
So, Dane and I had a doctors appointment on wednesday and my mom came with me to help with the kiddos. They seemed like they were feeling alright, so we thought we could take them to lunch. To Chili's. It all went fine, the table could've been bigger, but oh well, until we were leaving. My mom goes to pick up Drake and realizes that she just stuck her hand in diahhrea. Yes, all over himself! It was a horrible experience. I took him to the bathroom only to realize that this would be a huge task. So we just put him in the car and made the poor little guy ride home in a dirty diaper. It's totally my fault, I shouldn't have taken them out. Needless to say, his carseat got washed immediately and he got himself a bath.
Oh and Stephen stayed home from school today with the same thing!
Ugh, I hope this virus goes away soon!!!