Daddy's a great photographer!

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

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

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...

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

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!!!

Sickies

Poor Daddy had to deal with 3 sickies over the weekend. I wasn't much help because I had to work all weekend, but I tried to do whatever I could. Thankfully only Dane was puking. The other 2 just have some runny noses, but still seem to be quite irritable.
Dane hasn't thrown up yet today (knocking on wood)! He still seems out of it, very tired and quite cuddly. All 3 don't seem to want to eat anything. On average, I make 2 grilled cheese sandwhiches for them and they scarf it down, no problems. I'm struggling to get them to eat just one today! And breakfast was 1 waffle, usually 3-4! I myself am not feeling the best, but I can at least take something to help rid myself of the symptoms. And I hate having my kids living off of Ibuprofen, but hey, it always helps them sleep better during these times.

Oh, we got a new ride Saturday!! I'm so excited as is Daddy! A brand-new 2008 Toyota Tundra crewmax. It will seat all 6 of us very comfortably. Plus it will pull our camper without hesitation. I'll have to take pics and put some on here! It sure has some giddy-up to it, I touched the gas and through us back a bit! Very exciting! I'm just glad I was able to keep my camper (sorry I'm spoiled now, no tents!) and get rid of the Expedition. I like it but it was just going down hill.

I'm praying for some healthy babies soon!

WEATHER!!!!

This is definately Colorado for ya...almost 80 degrees outside yesterday...4 inches of snow today!
I love where I'm from!
I only wish it would've waited at least 1 more day to snow. I had to work yesterday so I wasn't able to enjoy the sun. It is kind of nice to have a snow day today, I could use the laziness.
To my last post, I'm feeling much better. I have the next 2 days off and I'm going to enjoy them. I've got to somehow figure out why my license has been suspended, an unpaid speeding ticket perhaps, I don't know. But obviously I can't be driving with a suspended license.
We did have to put our 2nd dog down. All within 6 months we've had to put 2 dogs down. It makes me very sad. I really wish we didn't have to put our "1st born" down, but she just couldn't be trusted with the kids. She was my dog, Burton was Chads. He's still pretty broken up about it, but Burton was not well. Arthritis of the back and stomach issues. I do have to say, it's pretty strange to come home and not be greeted by him. But they're both up in doggy heaven playing together.
Ahh, my kids. I think they must be going through a growing phase right now. They aren't eating a whole lot, they're not sick, and they want to sleep all the time! They're so smart. They just amaze us every day. I can't wait for them start talking, or can I?

All I want to do is...

Cry!
I can't even get a single tear to drop! How miserable does that sound? I know my life is no where near as crazy or hard as many others, but right now I'm having a meltdown.
I hate complaining to others, but writing it helps me to unload.

At work: March happens to be the busiest month of them all. With only 5 days off for the restaurant, it just frightens me. I won't have to work all of them, but the other managers may have to! I can't imagine it and neither should they! My big boss has asked me to work at least 2 more days a month, which to some may not sound like a lot, but to me it is. I don't see my husband as it is! Thank God I work at night so I can at least see my kids. But we do what we have to in order to have a nice life. Did I mention any kind of raise? Probably not because I wasn't offered one. Nor was I told how good of a job I do or any kind of bonus in which most restaurants offer. Don't get me wrong, this job is probably one of the easiest I've ever had and the people I work with make it the main reason I can't leave.

At home: My marriage is rocky. Like I said before, my husband and I see eachother as he comes home for me to go to work. How healthy of a relationship is that? I know that once the busy season is over we'll have more time together. It's just frustrating and he's got to feel the same way. I just received a letter in the mail saying my license has been suspended! Apparently for a ticket almost 2 years ago! I have no idea and it's just adding to my frustration!
Our 2nd dog is now having to be put down. We had to put our first dog down last year because she did not like the kids and we just couldn't trust her. Well Burton seems to be having some real arthritis issues to where he can barely move at times. He doesn't eat much and is skin and bones. My husband just took him to the vet to relieve his pain and because we live in a "hippy" county, the vet told us she would rather us give him pain meds for the rest of his life and wouldn't put him down!! Or she offered to send him to a rescue! We're not looking to get "rid" of him, we're trying to ease his pain and suffering. I'm blown away! So, as I sit here right now, he is outside with diahrea for whatever reasons and really can't move. His stomach is growling so loud I can hear it inside but yet he won't touch his food. Tell me that's not animal abuse!
The kids are doing great. Stephen is doing wonderful in school, a few missing assignments but he's doing extra credit to bring those grades up. His first year of wrestling has ended and he did great! Nice to see him doing really well at things he likes.
Dane finally has cut his top teeth making him a bit happier these days. Although he has become more of a bully. I don't know what to do when he pushes or pulls someone off of a toy, but the other 2 can't fight him back, he's too mean. And he does it all with a blank look on his face!
Drake has turned into a momma's boy! He has to be with me every minute he is awake. Pulling on me, climbing on me and crying whenever I leave the room! Cute at first, not anymore!!
Ava, well not sure what is new with her. She's still the Princess and loves to give her brothers kisses and hugs. She's the smartest of the 3. She knows what I'm saying and does it with me or does what I ask her to do. Very cute!
Still no words yet from anyone. Few signing too. But I'm not going to push them unless the doc says something is wrong.
I must go get ready for another long day of work.

Back on track

Daddy went home to Iowa for his grandfathers funeral last week and things were just out of sorts all weekend. Mommy was not able to get time off and we were not wanting to take the trio out there driving, the weather was horrible!
It was a nice "break" but it was just so weird not having him here. He left on wednesday and was only supposed to be there until Sunday, but due to extreme weather, his flights were rescheduled for Monday morning. Thankfully he had scheduled that day off. I still had to go to work last Thursday and Friday, so that was tough having to find someone to watch these monkeys. Not to mention I was in charge of 4 kids! Strange feeling, I don't think I could master being a single mother.
But we kept ourselves busy. Stephen pretty much spent the weekend with his friends, which was good. Thursday the weather was beautiful here and we made a trip to the park. They loved being able to run free outside. Thank goodness Mommy is fit to run and chase them though!
Friday we met cousin Emma, and Auntie and Uncle at Sweet Tomatoes for lunch. That was fun except they really didn't eat much. Too many distractions and people to look at. Saturday we went to a playdate/lunch at another triplets house. They enjoyed themselves so much. New toys and new kids to play with, although the other trio was a year older. And then on Sunday, we went to brunch with Grammy and Papa. It's so funny the looks on their faces as SO many people came up to us. They've gone places with me before, but when we're eating, we're pretty much sitting ducks or a zoo attraction. They enjoy it though.
A fun eventful weekend, just too bad Daddy wasn't here to enjoy it with us. But thankfully he's back and things can settle down a bit. Back to our usual routine, rarely seeing Daddy!

Rough day...

I'm frustrated right now trying to figure out whether Dane is having teething issues or if he's got some other ailment. He's got 4 teeth coming in on top, 2 of which are ready to come out. He's got a history of ear infections, but he's not pulling on his ears. But he's also screaming bloody murder during naps and waking in the nights. I would hate to take him in to the doctors and have them tell me its just teething, but then again would hate myself if I did take him in and he really does have an ear infection. UGH!
Oh and the kids think its funny (hilarious) to wipe their trays completely clean of their food. UGH!!
Drake also thinks its great to stick his finger down his throat and make himself gag.
Oh and I've already changed 6 poopy diapers!! Come on, why today? Is it bad to say that I'll be glad to be going to work later?

Catching on quickly...

I've noticed that in just the past week or so these guys really starting to catch on. They're starting to pay attention to their surroundings more and wanting to learn more.
Here's what they know:
Dane: he doesn't sign anything although he has full potential to. I've seen him do it before, but I think he's just lazy or knows that after awhile if he still doesn't sign "please" or "milk" we'll eventually give it to him.
Hehe, this might sound crazy and sorry to interrupt myself, but one of the kids' toys just made a noise and scared the crap out of me! Phew, I'm better now. I'll get back to what I was doing. Really, I'm not crazy.
Drake: he can sign "milk", "please", and "thank you" which also could be him blowing kisses. He seems eager to learn new things. And he picked up on these fairly quickly.
Ava: she is signing "milk" and "please". She too picked up on these quickly. It's pretty cute too when I sign a new word to them, she looks at each of them to see if they are signing it. Not sure if that means she can do it and won't unless they do it, or she's just making sure they are watching.
The signs we are trying to learn now are:
-Mommy
-Daddy
-more
-thank you
-all done

I have also been trying to teach them of their different body parts, eyes, ears, nose, mouth & belly. So far we all know where our bellies are and where their ears are. They love Mommy's nose. They give eachother hugs and kisses, but don't usually give us kisses when asked.
I've also started having them put their toys in their toy box and within one day, they started doing it. I was so shocked. And it's so cute watching them go around and pick up toys and put them in the box. They tend to put anything that's on the floor in there though. But they love it!
I'm having a great time with them and I just can't wait to see what they'll do next. They amaze me each and every day!

Sibling rivalry...

Is it too early for them to be having sibling rivalry?
Maybe it was just today, but Dane and Ava were at eachothers throats. If it wasn't Ava stealing Dane's toy, it was Dane pushing her off of another toy. They just could not share. Is this just the beginning? The 2 that look the most alike and they are going to fight constantly. AAAHHHH!!! Drake just kind of lets Dane do his thing. Every once in awhile he'll fight back. Drake and Ava don't seem to mind one another. I wonder if it's because they seem to be the most independant. Oh who knows. I just don't want to have to keep breaking up fights. I'll tell you though, I have sat here and watched a few, Ava is one tough girl. She holds her ground, but then again, so does Dane! I haven't witnessed any biting, which because I said that, they'll start, and I haven't really seen any hitting. It's all been mostly pushing or putting their heads on the other and pushing.
Still, life with triplets...Priceless!!

Naps...

So I figured out how to get them to take 2 naps still. Apparently I was letting them sleep too long for their morning nap, so they were just not tired enough to take another nap later in the day. But way too tired to not go to bed until 7pm. The trick is to wake them up during their nap. I only had to do it once so far, the rest of the days they've been waking up on their own. I just can't believe that they need that much sleep, but hey I am not complaining. I love having my time to myself. And make that 2 times a day.
We'll now just see how long their morning nap continues. I don't see it going away any time soon. They are cranky after only being up for a short period. I don't see why, I mean, good grief you just woke up from sleeping for almost 11 hours!!!

Frustrating nap situation...

Well, at least I was able to sleep until 7 this morning! Drake did wake up and moan around 5:30, but that's when Daddy starts to get up, so he took care of that.
Our normal routine for the day goes something like this:
7am: wake and come downstairs
7:15-7:30: have milk in sippy cups and wait for Mommy to make breakfast
7:30-8: breakfast
9-11am: naptime
11am: wake and come downstairs
11:15-12: milk and lunch
12-1pm: play
1-3(ish): naptime
3pm-5pm: wake and have water or juice and snack
5(ish): milk and dinner
6:30-7pm: bedtime

That's our schedule, give or take a few minutes, every day.
So, what's so different about today? GRRRR! Could it be time to try one nap? This is where it gets frustrating with 3! My trio have always been so good with sleeping in the same room. I do know that Drake seems to require more sleep than the other 2. Ava seems to not need any, but around 4:30-5:30 is her "witching" hour! She becomes a demon child. I've heard that is the hour for most kids, so I'm not too shocked. The other 2 transform at times too, but not as often as her.
So this morning, just like routine, I put them down at 9am. Maybe it was closer to 9:30 because we were slow getting dressed. Only to have to listen to Ava and Dane scream until 10:30. They never have been ones ot calm themselves down, but then again, who could when someone else is screaming with you! I went in to get them and they seems totally fine, happy to have me get them. Almost as if they didn't need that nap today. Ugh! I was not planning on doing one nap until the spring or summer, so I wouldn't be cooped up inside. Maybe I should look into doing a class with them in the mornings then. Hmm, all the possibilities.
As, I'm writing this, Drake, who actually did nap this morning is upstairs crying. WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON??? I need Mommy time!! At least I don't hear the other 2!
So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find out the problem. A poopy diaper? Who knows?

Early risers...

For the second day in a row, we've been getting up at 6am! It's brutal! Thank goodness I haven't worked the past couple of nights, which could mean only 3-5 hours of sleep for mommy!

I honestly don't know why they are waking so early. They go to bed at the same time every night, nothing has changed! Mommy's not used to waving bye to Daddy as he leaves for work! But apparently the kids love it!

I know Dane is getting 4 teeth (!) on top right now, Ava looks like she's getting 2 more on top, but Drake I don't see any. I'm wondering if it's his molars. He's actually the one that wakes up first and wakes everyone else up. I've been told to maybe put him in another room so he doesn't wake the others, but where? There's no extra room. And God forbid he should sleep with us. It's like our bed is a jungle gym and there's absolutely NO sleeping for him then. Sometimes I wish each kid had a manual to help us raise them.

On another note, Chad and I finally had another date night this last Saturday. We went to the Outback and had some great food. It was kind of funny, we sat at the bar (45 min) waiting for a table and sat next to these 2 ladies. Well, I couldn't help but listen in on their conversation, as I'm sure the whole bar could hear them. When they received their meal, it did not come out the way they wanted it to. And I'll tell you, I was giggling to myself, because they talked so loud and were so angry, they had their meal split on 2 plates and on one plate the kitchen put the potatoes and on the other were the string beans. Oh Lord, that made them so angry! But the funniest part was, it's happened to them every time they go there! Now if it happend to me the first time and I didn't like it, I would probably tell them the next time to not do it. It was just funny. For me working in the restaurant business I see these types of people all the time. Their main goal is to complain so much that they eventually get their meal for free. I am so glad I am not that type of person! All in all though, our date night was great! Well needed.

Until next time...

BTW, the picture is of them in their new toy box! They love it!

New Year's Resolution...

So, I decided that my new years resolution was going to be blogging more. I have really only blogged about once a month, and there is SO much going on here that I should really tell people every day. And it's a good way to let our family know how things are going.

I don't seem to mind the question "Who's your favorite?" because they are each a favorite for their very own reason. And I LOVE sharing those reasons with other people. Dane is my favorite because his eyes are so big and blue and the way he looks at me just makes me melt! He also gives the VERY best hugs and cuddles! Drake is my favorite because he looks just like me! The only one that will have my color of eyes too. I love that he is always smiling and he rarely ever closes his mouth! Meaning, his shirts are always soaked! Ava is my favorite, well, she's my only daughter! Plus she likes to mimic me in everything! Her eyes, her smile and the squeals she makes are just wonderful. Ok, so the squeals can be toned down a bit, but they're still cute.
I'm alright when people tell me that they have a favorite, because each one seems to be a favorite of someones. Make sense?
Today, Dane is not a favorite! He has become the bully. And what gets me, he does it all with a straight face. Almost like he doesn't care that he just pushed his sister off the toy he wanted. He laughs about it, unless his siblings fight back and win. Then he cries and tries to come crawl in my lap. I don't allow him to do so. If I see him take a toy or push someone, I make him aware that it's not right and remove him from the situation. It's been tough, and I'm hoping this works. Today I caught him grabbing Drake's shirt and trying to pull him away from the gate. Drake of course just stands there (I'm going to have to work on that too, I guess!).
I'm just hoping that this is just a phase that will soon pass!

Merry Christmas!

Ok, so it's almost the New Year, but hey, don't you know I'm a little slow these days!
We had a wonderful couple of days for Christmas.
Ours really started on the Saturday before when we went to church. Out of all the Sundays (or sometimes Saturdays) we go to in the year, the Christmas service is by far the best I've ever been to. Ok, there's been a ton of great services, but this one always means a lot! With wonderful music and the story of Christ's birth, it's just so touching! We also have a girl, she might be in her twenty's, who can belt out some Christmas songs. My favorite song, O Holy Night is one of her best. Her voice sent chills through my body when she sang it! Don't tell anyone, but I really go to hear her sing that song. I've never heard anyone sing it as good as she does! Not positive, but you might be able to hear it on our church's website, www.flatironschurch.com.
On Christmas Eve, we went over to my boss and his wife's house for dinner. We had a wonderful meal; a salad (with walnuts, dried fruit, Feta and Rasp. dressing), portobello mushrooms (I'm not a mushroom fan and I guess the kids aren't either), twice baked potatos, and a beef tenderloin that melted in our mouth! What a feast it was! It was also accompanied with expensive wine assortments! Good thing I was the driver, not a huge fan of red wine.
The trio did great even though they didn't have a good nap beforehand. They played with Sam, bosses 13 month old son and a couple of girls who are a few years older. They all played very well together. The girls really didn't understand all the little kids, but that's just their age. We made it home pretty late, but thankfully before all the snow crept in. And that's exactly what it did! But who doesn't love a white Christmas?? We woke up to about 6-8 inches of snow!!
Stephen was at his mother's house for their Christmas celebration. He came home Christmas morning. Unfortunately due to the weather, when he finally made it home, we had to pack up and go to Grammie and Papa's house for their Christmas celebration.
What a houseful that was! But I am always up for a great family get together! It's growing ever so rapidly at this point! Still no one can out do Chad and I!! It was me, Chad, Stephen, Dane, Drake and Ava (6), Crystal's family (Fonso, Kain, Emma and LeAnn was not able to make it due to the weather), Dawn's family (Chris and Damien) and my mom and dad (Grammie and Papa). I feel like I'm missing someone, but I think that's it.
We had another great feast for a brunch; quiche (thank you Chad), hashbrown casserole, frenchtoast casserole, bacon and deer sausage. Oh and let's not forget those yummy Bloody Mary's!! Had a few myself!
Following the meal, we opened gifts! Always so much fun with little kids. Ava received a Cabbage Patch baby, while she wanted nothing to do with it, she wanted the boys' gift...a 4wheeler!! Apparently it's hers!! I will be going out real soon to buy a couple more of those, thanks Grammie!!! :) We couldn't spend all day there, so we left a little after the kids' nap time. They fell asleep in the car ride home, so they didn't get a good nap in at all. But who care's right, it's Christmas!!
At home we all opened our gifts... I got a Nintendo DSLite with BrainAge to get my brain back on track to smart once again. Chad got some things to start Slacklining. If you don't know what it is, just think "tightroping"! Or google it someday, it's quite interesting. I guess it's a huge craze here in Boulder. And Stephen got Guitar Hero!! Wow, that game is so much fun! But it can be addicting, he's already beaten the easy level! But he tried hard, and he's got a lot of practicing to do! And the kids received a giant PlayHut with tunnels and rooms and some balls. They love it! Dane just goes in and hides! Drake and Ava love the tunnels. They insist on carrying around the little balls too.
So we had a wonderful Christmas! Oh and we finally got a couple of whole family pictures of us! Not all of us are looking in all the pictures, but he we're in the same picture!
Have a great New Year!!

They're ONE!!!

We still can't believe it!!
I wanted to write a whole bunch of neat things that the trio have done just in the past year but my mind is blank. After the week we had of moving and their birthday party, I just don't feel like thinking. So one of these days I will write a great post and share it with you all.
As for now, it's lunch time and Ava is screaming because she has an empty tray.
I did want to share a short video of pictures that were taken at their party. Last week we rushed to get moved in and everyone at the party just kept telling us "I can't believe you moved in last weekend! It looks like you have lived here for a couple of months!" Thank you! We stressed and stressed and worked very hard to get settled. We still have a good ways to go, but we're in!
As far as the party, I counted 62 people! Yikes! And it was all indoors as the weather was about 30 degrees out. Our kiddos did excellent. All 3 of them were pretty quiet, but they get like that when there are other people around. No meltdowns, they had a great day! They received so many wonderful gifts, too many! They loved the cakes my sister Crystal made, especially Ava which you'll see in the pictures. Drake was a little freaked out by the singing and didn't know what to do with the cake. Dane wanted someone to lift the cake up to his face so he could eat it.
Ava had a little bit of a sugar high, but they all settled down for bed by 7pm. Which by then, Mommy and Daddy were ready as well!
So, we all survived! We didn't see much of Stephen throughout the party, he said there were just too many people and kids here. He stayed in the basement. I really don't blame him!
The trio have their 12 month checkup on the 16th, so I'll try to post after that and tell everyone their heights and weights. Ava finally got a new carseat, bright pink, but she still has to ride backwards for awhile longer. The boys have graduated to riding forwards and they love it! I don't know if they're over 20lbs, but they're a year old now!
That's long enough...

11 months old...

We took the trio to "Boo at the Zoo" last Saturday and they had an absolute blast. Even with the cold temps, they wore their Halloween costumes, gloves, hats and kept them on the entire day. Unfortunately, I misplaced one of my most prize possessions while at the zoo, and now I believe I lost my camera while there. I'm so very sad, I used it just about every day! I was lucky enough to get pictures of the kids in their costumes prior to the zoo, so I will be able to post some.
For Halloween , we took them to our local King Soopers where they were passing out candy in all of their departments. They loved that. I even had a few people ask to take pictures of them. One woman said she would develop them for us and blow one up! Very cool! Just a bit strange that someone would want pictures of someone elses kids! Chad and Stephen took them out that night around the block in their new little choo-choo wagon. They got a ton of candy! And of course more people gawking at them. I love having beautiful kids! :)
That's it for now, my mom is letting me borrow her camera so that will be nice. Once I get over the loss of my own camera I'll start taking more.
I guess I could give a small update though... Ava seems to be getting the hang of walking! She will walk from the couch to the chair and anywhere else! It's not the best strides, but she seems to love it! Drake and Dane will take steps but they don't seem to think it's that important right now. I bet they'll all be walking by their 1st birthday!

The day after...

What a race that was for Chad! The first 8-10 hours were in the 50's, then the weather took a turn for the worse. The clouds rolled over and brought with them, rain, much cooler temps, and some lightning and thunder. But he stuck it out. For his support crew, we froze our little tooshes off!
He did what he wanted to...50 miles by 9pm! He became a little disoriented around 3pm and told himself that he could do 50 by 5pm. I came through with the kids to see him around 1:30 and he seemed in great spirits. He was just not thinking so clearly. But who really could after running for that long.
So in 18 1/2 hours of running, Chad finished 64 miles! I'm amazed and so is he. Sunday was nothing but a rest day. He wasn't feeling so well and slept a lot. He needed to get re-hydrated and eat a lot of calories. Unfortunately he developed a fever. I believe it was due to running in such cold weather. That was the scary part. I went to check on him and he was drenched in sweat. I made him drink some more fluids and change his clothes. It seemed to help.
Today he is feeling great. He says he feels like he drank too much alcohol last night and just has a terrible hang over. His legs and body feel better than he ever expected. Almost just like he ran a 1/2 marathon, not 64 miles.
As for his pacers, Stephen ran with him for his 8th lap, 50-57 mile mark. It was an alright lap, but it was a good thing that Stephen was there with him to help keep Chad's sanity. For his final lap, lap 9, Alfonso ran with him. Fonso said Chad was pretty out of it and even Chad remembers not being too in control of things. He was running on empty.
Every time I say 64 miles, I just can't believe it. Just the whole process that goes with it is scary. I could never have the mind set to do it.
How cheesy is this, but he's my hero!! I'm so proud of him! I love you so much Chad!