The Best Things in Life are THREE...

On Dying.

2012-02-07T21:48:00.000-08:00

I contemplated how to handle it the whole way to work. I thought about it while AT work and I was still thinking about when I drove to my mom's to pick up my kids.

On my way out the door for work this morning, I threw my purse over my shoulder, grabbed my school bag, turned off the house alarm and then sprinkled some food in the fish bowl. The same things I always do just before I leave the house. But as I turned to walk away, I noted that I did not see Nemo from the angle at which I was standing. So I moved and peered around to the other side. He wasn't there either.

Had it not been 6:30 in the morning with all other members of the household sound asleep, I would've yelled so loud, what I frustratedly, quietly shouted in my head instead. "GRACIE!! YOU STUPID CAT!!"

PRIME SUSPECT NUMBER 1

So um, our fish died today.

Our 'Replace-the-fish-that-died-and-give-him-the-same-name-as-the-first-fish' fish..The fish we successfully pulled the wool over our kids' eyes with a few months ago. The fish we adults know as Nemo 2.0. The fish that replaced their very first fish, ever-a gift to them from their Grampa (Ponka) and Genise.

I feared this day would come- ever since I first saw that cat jump up on the counter and watch in a state of total hypnosis as the fish swam back and forth and back and forth. She sits up there when we're fast asleep and dips her furry white paw in that bowl and no doubt tortures poor Nemo till he's scared half to death, hiding deep within his plastic, green plants. Well this time, she won.

The moment I failed to see him, I instinctively looked to my feet half expecting to see Nemo lying on the floor gutted or chewed or poked to death. But I did not see him where I stood. So I walked around to the kitchen flipped on the light switch and there, lying on the cold ceramic tile was Nemo, dehydrated, literally stuck to the floor where he lay motionless.

It's a fish, Ami. It's just a little blue fish. None the less, my heart sank, because it's not just about me. It's about me bearing the weight of my kids' potential sadness and confusion. I grabbed a paper towel to scoop him up and wouldn't you know it, he wasn't even dead yet. His little fish mouth was opening and closing, gasping for water. So I placed him back in his bowl, knowing full well that he would be dead when I returned 11 hours later. As foolish as it must've looked, I actually apologized to that little fish for letting our cat get him. I'm pretty sure I even told him he'd been a good little replacement fish, and that our kids loved him.

And then I left.

And I pondered my next move all day.

Do we dare try and sneak a 3rd fish into that bowl in hopes that no one notices? Cuz really, how many times can you lie to your kids about their pets dying before you start to feel like a total schmuck? It's that internal battle between your heart and your head...Do you lie to preserve their feelings or do you tell them the truth because it's life?

Well we lied once, so this time, we decided to come clean.

When we got home from Grammy's, Brian scooped Nemo 2.0 back out of his bowl and placed him on a paper towel. I called the kids out of the play room, telling them "I have something sad to tell you." (Pretty sure at the moment the only thing they were sad about was the fact that I paused their Cars Movie.) Nevertheless, they followed me into the kitchen where I took hold of Nemo's bowl and kneeled down with it so it was at their eye level.

Who knows exactly what I actually said at that moment, because all I could think was, "Say something profound, Ami. Don't mess this up. Don't mess this up or they'll be scarred for life."( I may or may not watch a little too much TV.)

And so, with my kids at my side, their little faces peering into the bowl, looking for Nemo, I said, "Nemo isn't in his bowl anymore, guys. Nemo can't swim in here anymore. He got sick. Nemo got sick and he.... he died.

It's hard to say those words to little kids. Even though they don't understand it, they can sure as heck read between the lines.

Just looking at their little faces confirmed their confusion and as morbid as it may sound, I knew that they would need to see Nemo in order to better understand what I meant when I said 'he died.'

So I said, "Do you want to see Nemo?" Hunter immediately said yes. I took the paper towel with our little blue fish, held it in my hands and got back down so they could all see. There was total confusion and concern on their faces. Again, I said, "Nemo died. That means he can't swim in his bowl anymore. He's in heaven now. Nemo got sick and he died. But he doesn't hurt." (I consciously did not want to tell them that Gracie killed Nemo because I didn't want them to be afraid of her. )

Colton left my side and went just outside the kitchen, but Hunter and Ethan honestly did not want to leave it. The sad look on Hunter's face was awful. I said to her, "Are you sad? Mama's sad." Ethan kept trying to take the paper towel from me and hold it himself. He insisted on folding up the paper towel to cover Nemo up, much the way I do with with their blankets at night. It was really quite endearing.

Hunter even uttered the words, "He was a good fish, mommy." Brian and I shot glances at one another as if to say, "Well if that wasn't the cutest thing ever?!"

And then, I said, "Do you want to say good-bye to Nemo? Should we blow him kisses?" And some of us blew him kisses and others of us (Ethan) just blew ON him. :)

And with that, I passed our fish to Brian (who inquired through closed lips just what I wanted him to do with it now) and that was that.

Back to the playroom they went, where life just goes on. Cuz that's how you roll when you're practically 3 years old, you know.

I honestly thought that would be the end of it, kind of 'out of sight, out of mind', but as I put the kids in bed tonight, though hours had passed since we said goodbye to Nemo, it became painfully clear that it was still on their minds.

Colton looked at me and said, "Mommy, Nemo not swimming anymore." This was followed by Hunter's explanations of "He got sick. He went to fishy heaven. But, but, he's a good fish, mommy."

And I tucked them all in bed, and listened for the next 10 or so minutes as they tried to process death and loss. And there I sat, trying very hard to say things they would understand. I thought I had done well until Hunter said, "But I'm not sick, mommy."

And that's when my heart sank.

"And daddy's not sick. And Ethan's not sick. And Colton's not sick. And Paper's not sick. And mommy's not sick, " she continued.

She's smart y'all. She's very, very smart. And she knows what it means to be sick. So much so that I could tell she was immediately seeking confirmation that no one else was sick and going to die.

SH#@!! Though I don't regret the decision to tell them the truth, I regret choosing that explanation. I looked at her at and said, "You're right, Hunter. No one else is sick. And getting sick doesn't always mean we die. Nemo was old. Sometimes when you get old, you die and you go to Heaven. But Heaven is a happy place. Heaven is where you go when you die."

And again she said, "He's a good fishy, but he died. He went to Heaven. But mommy's not died. And Daddy's not died. And Colton's not died. And Ethan's not died.....and on and on and on.

All three of them continued to talk about Nemo and how we said goodbye to him and how we blew him kisses. Colton said, "I'm sad." And I said, "Colton, mommy's sad too."

Though it's awful, and though I fear that I may have screwed them up a little bit, I believe it was a good life lesson. Pets die. People die. It's so hard to understand. But I believe telling the truth about what has happened is better than making stuff up.

Uugh....parenting is hard.

"Look at those fat legs!"

2012-01-20T21:11:00.000-08:00

She's constantly surrounded by boys. She spends every waking (oh right, AND sleeping) moments with boys. She's rough and tumble because of it and she can play the heck out of trucks and cars. She knows Mater and McQueen and she wrestles like a champ. No doubt my girl can hang with the boys.

But there is no denying that she is in love with her baby girl cousin, Brinley.

And why wouldn't she? Brinley represents everything girlie she's clearly been craving. She's kisses and smiles and hugs and laughs. She's pink clothes and tiny toes. She's the real life baby doll every little girl hopes to have.

She's a reason to play "the mommy."

"You need you facifier, Brinney?"
"Brinney, you need some socks on you feet?"
"I change Brinney's diaper?"

They are adorable together. (Truth be told, the boys love Brinley EVERY bit as much as Hunter and they dote on her just the same, but Hunter sticks around for photo ops much more agreeably.)

This afternoon, both girls woke from naps at the same time. As my sister prepared to change her diaper, Hunter chimes in with, "Look at those fat legs!" Seriously can't enough of my little niece! Enjoy our random photos from a completely impromptu photo shoot.

Being a model can be SOOooo boring.

Peek-a-boo!

I got this.

2012-01-17T21:41:00.000-08:00

First of all, those of you who are readers of one of my ABSOLUTE favorite blogs, 'Enjoying the Small Things', YES, I straight up stole the title of her last post. But there was just no more appropriate title than it. So the least you can do is stop on by and read her post. (But prepare to be sucked in...)

Now back to me.

What do you do the weather is absolutely perfect outside-- cool, but not cold, overcast but not gloomy, and your kids, who've been sick for a week, are all suddenly looking almost normal? You eat cinnamon rolls for breakfast and excitedly announce to everyone, "We're going to the zoo today!" (I'm not usually one for last minute trips like these, but the mood struck me just right and I felt like the kids had been cooped up inside for far too long.)

So Brian and I did the whirlwind-tag-team-get-5-people-ready-as-quick-as-possible dance and were making our way to the garage all in under an hour. Great planning, eh? Well, I bet I don't need to tell you... Even the best laid plans can go awry. Cuz that's when the phone rang and Brian got called out for work.

Say it with me now, "Awwwww crap."

Not immediately wanting to go as the 'solo adulto', I contemplated making up some lame excuse about how ALL the animals at the zoo were sleeping right now and that we couldn't go, but the little faces looking up at me, completely unaware of my predicament, continued as they had for the past hour with, "I'm ready to go the animal zoo, mommy" and "I'm ready to go in the car to see the giwaffes," And though I may be mean from time to time, on THIS day, I was not ABOUT to break those little hearts.

'I got this,' I kept telling myself.

Triple Choo-Choo Wagon? Check!

One diaper/food bag? Check!

My new camera? Check!

3 kids? Check!

And we were off. Typically, anytime I go anywhere with the kids alone, whether it's Target, Walgreens, the park, etc. I spend the drive time playing the 'what-if' game, so that regardless of what happens, I will not be caught off guard and unprepared. Oh no, I want to look cool and collected when my kid pees his pants in front of the otters. :)

Here's just a sampling of what goes through my mind...

'What if one gets sick and throws up?'

(Leave and go home)

'What if one gets mad and throws a tantrum in the middle of the zoo?'

(Too bad, so sad. Get to a less public area and wait it out. DON'T yell back like a lunatic parent.)

'What if one runs this direction and the other two run in that direction?'

(Don't forget that you're faster than they are. Ditch the wagon if need be. You've got the bag with the important stuff, now RUN.)

'What if I lose one?'

(I honestly did not consider this one to be a likely option, but you just never know.) Sooo, tell the zoo people, call 911 if need be, show them the picture you took when you arrived. Yes, whether on a cell phone or camera, I always take a photo of all kids when we arrive, so I can show authorities exactly how they look that day. I do this on Kindergarten Field Trips too!)

'What if I don't have enough food?

(You have your wallet and they have a snack bar.)

'Where can I fill up sippy cups?'

(They're called water fountains and they're oh, I don't know, everywhere.)

'What if we lose a sippy cup?'

(See snack bar comment above. Better yet, see water fountain comment above.)

'What if everyone is cranky and crying and wants to go in different directions?

(Leave and go home)

What if they won't stay in the wagon and want to walk on their own.

(Play this one by ear....if they stay close enough for comfort, then fine. Let 'em walk. If they refuse to stay close to you, then in the wagon they go, then refer to TANTRUM comment above.)

So anyhoo, now that I've given you the lead up, I'll just tell you that this trip was hands-down the BEST trip they've ever had to the zoo. No joke. We went around the entire zoo 3 times they were so cooperative. We pulled up to an exhibit and I'd say, "Okay, you can get out if you want to." They'd all get out, hang on the bars, look at the animal for a while, and then somebody would say, "Okay, bye, bye _____ (fill in the blank with an animal name). See you soon! I love you ______." And they would climb back in to their seats and we'd move on.

It was eerily enjoyable and remarkably stress free....

I fed them sandwiches and strawberries as we strolled through the zoo and towards the end of our 2nd round, I stopped to get 3 flavors of 'Dippin Dots' ice cream as a reward for their awesomeness. We took our ice cream to the central park area within the zoo and sat in a little circle to enjoy a sweet treat.

Now, this next story I tell you for 2 reasons-
1. It's a testament as to how meaningful it is when people go out of their way to do something kind, and
2. Everyone needs a little pat on the back and for me, this was that pat and it came on a good day.

As we sat in the grass, I could see a couple approaching us. I tried not to stare, but it was soon apparent that they were coming right for us. I assumed they wanted to know about our wagon or something, since it would seem it was pretty much the greatest thing going. Next to the 84 times I said, "Yes, they're triplets and yes, I have my hands full", I probably said, "It's called the Choo Choo wagon and it's made by Step 2. Yes, it's the coolest invention ever" no less than 63 times.

As they got right up to us, the man knelt down beside me and the woman said, we just wanted to tell you that this is the best exhibit at the entire zoo." (Insert my eye rolling here...another comment about what a zoo we are.) But then I realized they had an entirely different message.

They proceeded to tell me how they'd seen us all around the zoo and just wanted to come and tell me what a great job I was doing. (What? For REAL?) They continued with how they were so impressed with how well behaved my kids were and how refreshing it was so hear a mother speak to her 3 young children in such a calm and positive manner.

His words, as he patted me on the shoulder were, "You got this, Mama! You're doing a great job and we just wanted to tell you."

All parents deserve recognition. They do. But unfortunately there isn't always someone to offer it. So when someone goes out of their way to tell you you're doing something right, it really means a lot. It's appreciated and it just lets you know you're doin all right.

So 'thank you' to that couple, for making my day. The day I contemplated canceling. :)

And now, the photos....(taken with my new camera that I still mostly know nothing about.)

Yes, it's the Choo Choo Wagon. It's made by Step 2. It's a must-have for triplets. :)

Sir Colton

Lady Hunter

Master Ethan

First Stop? The Otters.

Watchin the 'Otter in the Water! '

Yes, she's also an Otter Fan.

Aside from the slitty eyes, I love how angelic he looks.

Otter Watchers

"Yook at the Pea Pocks Mommy!" (Peacocks)

Das the effant.

Hey, don't everyone have too much fun, now! lol...

Finally! The Giwaffes!

Perhaps more interesting than any of the animals were these sculptures with giant leaf filled holes ...

"Hello, ello, ello, ello....."

Looking for the hummingbird.

Moving on to the Duck Pond. Disappointed that the Fish Food Feeder Machine was empty. :(

Cuz seriously, it's a highlight for them usually.

"S'all gone, mommy?"

Love.

Time for Dippin Dots!

And a breakdown because I tried to help him scoop some ice cream.

(I know. How DARE I?)

And I'll leave you with that.

Let that couple be a reminder to us all.

Go out of your way once in a while.

Make someone's day.

Tell them what a great job they're doing.

Call it intuition....

2012-01-07T12:22:00.000-08:00

As she put the car in reverse, window rolled down, Aunt Mary asked one last time if it was safe to back out of our driveway and not hit any children or dogs. Fairly certain they were all out of the way, I replied, "I'm pretty sure the boys are up by the door, but let me just check one last time. "

Walking over to the sidewalk where the front door was now in my line of sight, I saw Ethan standing in front of the closed door. But I could not see Colton.

However I saw the curtain inside move. Considering that both Hunter and Piper (the dog) were with me, I knew it had to be Colton inside the house.

"All clear!" I tell Mary.

Followed shortly by "Wait. You can back out, but maybe don't leave just yet.... I have a sneaking suspicion that Colton may have just locked us out. Let me just go check real quick."

So she pulled around to the side of our house and pulled out the ol' iPhone to take pictures of our debacle.

Sure enough we were locked out. :)

(You realize there's no real urgency here because I knew Mary had a key, hence the reason I asked her not to drive away...) Nevertheless, it was funny to see Hunter and Ethan's reaction to realizing they'd been locked out.

I could see Colton right inside the door, about 4 feet away, watching us peer inside the window at him.

Me: "Colton Buddy, can you unlock the door, please?"

Colton: "No."

Me: "Colton come over here and turn the lock again." (Obviously, he IS able to lock the door.)

Colton: "No."

(He says this NOT out of disobedience, but rather uncertainty and a wee bit of fear having realized he's in there ALONE.)

Me: "laugh, laugh, laugh...Mary? We're gonna need that key..."

My little servant, Hunter ran through the rocks to get Aunt Mary's key and brings it to us, freeing the indoor prisoner!

I could tell he was immediately unsure about whether he was in trouble or not.

(He was not)

And then I realized how scared he'd become.

But nothing a hug from 'mummy' can't fix.

And the servant girl returns the keys!

"Good job, Hunter Olivia!"

And thanks, Aunt Mary for capturing the fun AND rescuing us!

Holy Uncharted Territory, Batman!

2012-01-04T23:00:00.000-08:00

First of all, I'd like to make a disclaimer. I'm writing this blog, drinking wine, while watching the season finale of what is ashamedly one of my new favorite shows, "Moonshiners." Yep. Any show with character names like 'Popcorn' and 'Tickle' is a show for me.

Moving on...thanks so much for all the supportive comments on my random post below. You all gave me a much needed boost and reminded me to keep the focus and not lose the fun. So tonight, though it's already 11:07, I knew there wasn't a snowball's chance in you-know-where that I could forgo posting these photos.

The kids are almost 3. For real. It's like 78 days or something. And though I don't really NEED them to be, I really kinda want them to be.

Potty-Trained, that is.

I've never been 'a reader.'

I didn't read about all the things that could go wrong in a triplet pregnancy.

I didn't read about cranial helmets.

I didn't read about cleft lips and palates.

I didn't read about how to sleep train babies or what it means when ______. (fill in the blank)

I just....go with the flow. We figure things out as they happen.

But holy uncharted territory, Batman!

The thought of potty training 3 toddlers at once? Uh, "Clueless, party of one please?"

Perhaps we'll HAVE to read about this one.

Tonight, just to entice them, I busted out the kiddie 'roos and was instantly transported to their high school graduation.{Sniff Sniff, Tear} OH MY GOODNESS. Their little buns in these little 'roos...So cute.

Ethan isn't sure he loves these...Colton thinks he looks badass and Hunter is thinking, "Now I look just like my mommy."

Poor Ethan

Stick 'em up.

Baa ha ha!! So cute!!

Get your groove on!

Oh, sorry. Get YOUR groove on!

Again, this is not the face of happiness.

They grew on him though. (Oh my goodness, could that mirror BE any filthier?)

My little boys...

On the table, watching Buzz and Woody in the playroom.

Little Miss gets the award for the first one to pee in her new underwear! lol...

Stay tuned, my friends. This is gonna get good.

This and that...

2012-01-02T22:59:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been feeling like so many funny, exciting, interesting, horrifying, etc. etc. things happen in any given day that it makes choosing what to write about terribly hard. I mean it. I still have that moment where something happens and I say to myself, almost instinctively, "This would make a great blog post." But then an hour later, something else happens and again I say, "This would make a great blog post, too!" And then I'm left trying to figure out how to join the two (or four or eight) ideas into a beautiful marriage of Bunchkin funnies. And if it doesn't flow, then it bothers me and I just don't do it.

For instance, Hunter just came out to see me, asking where her daddy was. I told her he was up in our room fixing the TV and that it was okay if she went up to see him. Excitedly, she headed up the stairs, but then stopped, came back to where I sat writing, and said, "I goin to see Daddy. You stay here. You watch your pooter (computer.) You watch da TV. Okay?" (Seriously? Who taught her to be so bossy?....) Don't answer that. :)

How do I poetically marry that with a story about our near ~~death~~ trip to urgent care upon learning that Ethan had forced a foreign object so far up his little nostril that no fingernail of mine could rescue it. Thank God for Ulta in the mall parking lot is all I gotta say. I rushed him in with me, while Mary and Anabelle unpacked Hunter and Colton. I bought two pair of tweezers (pointy and slanted) for a grand total of $16.00, then throw him horizontally across my lap on the bench right out in front of Ulta. The first pair of tweezers didn't work. The second? Oh yeah, I freakin' got it - A piece of rubber from the chest plate on his car seat. Man, I should've been a nurse....Resulting Parenting Tip? Keep tweezers in your purse. Cuz $16 sure beats your bill at Urgent Care.

Now back to the point I was attempting to make.

Do you realize that we literally celebrated Christmas 4 different times, in 4 different places with 4 different parts of our family and I haven't even uploaded a single photo from my camera yet. We even celebrated New Year's and still, no photos. What is wrong with me??

Unless every post from here on out is titled "A little of this and a little of that" then I just feel.... overwhelmed with loose ends! I miss blogging. I really, really miss it. My kids are at one of the funniest stages of their lives and I can't seem to get out of this blog funk to write about it. Rats. Guilt used to work really well for me.... 3 mentions in the same week about how I hadn't blogged in a while and I'd have one posted by day's end. But now, even that isn't cuttin' it for me! (So if you were planning on trying to guilt me, save yourself the effort.) :)

I guess there's something about having triplets that has always made me feel like I need to be at the top of my game, AHEAD of the game, ALWAYS. Or risk being swallowed alive- by crying, yelling, by laundry, strewn about toys, by clingy toddlers, dishes and snacks, cleaning and brushing 60 teeth and clipping 60 nails. I used to be better at overlooking messes and not caring that there were toys cluttering every square inch of my house. But for some reason, I can't right now. For some reason, I need order.

Well, I've not been swallowed alive yet. But the older they get, the faster they get, the more proficient mess makers they become and the harder it is for me to find that which I hear they call 'spare time?' Ah ha ha...Spare time, schmare time. I laugh at your spare time.

So, perhaps we'll add it to the list of resolutions. (Except I'll put it on the list that I intend to actually strive to accomplish, not just the one I fill with things that 'look good on paper.' To assist me, I got a new camera! Call it my inspiration. Every mommy blogger needs a good camera, right? Well I got one finally. Now if I could just learn how to use it.... :)

In the mean time, like I mentioned, I haven't got a single new photo of my babies to post for you, so I'll leave you with our play room instead, which I spent a good deal of time reorganizing the past few weeks while on Winter Break. If you're my FB friend, sorry. You've seen these already.

So there we have it. Just wanted you to know I'm still here, and I'm trying to find my way back to you. {Cue you and me running towards each other in slow motion on a beach...}

Happy New Year Everyone!

Memories of a Tree Lot

2011-12-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite memories from my childhood is going to the tree lot to pick out a Christmas Tree. I don't know why this memory resonates so much more than others, but it just...does. There was something about picking out the right shape, the right height, the right smell and just knowing that soon after, there would be the decorating festivities. I even remember fondly tossing the tree (well, not me, I was just a child, for Pete's Sake) into the back of the car and then pulling it out once we got home, leaving behind a whole mess of needles. Then we'd leave the tree for a few hours "just to rest and let it fall." Yep. It's all part of the memory.

I recall the teamwork it took to place the tree into its stand, with one person (my mom or dad) likely on his or her belly beneath the tree, ready to screw the bolts into the trunk while the other person (my dad or mom) held the tree while heeding the advice of my sister or me as to which direction to lean it..."A little more to the left, little more, little bit, --nope! Too far. Go back a little bit, almost, yep, yep. Right there!"

Fast forward to my grown up years and my marriage to an "artificial tree" kinda guy and here we are trying to recreate these memories for our own kids in a different kind of way. No, I haven't converted the hubster to having a real tree yet, so instead, we just go along with whomever happens to be getting a real tree that year. In this case, it was my Mom & Al and Mary.

Not my mom and dad, but my mom and Al--another reminder that part of growing up is accepting that though my "family" is no longer the same unit it once was, we are all still family. Traditions my parents created for us when we were little, continue. Each of them have independently worked hard to maintain all the little details of what we remember growing up.

And we've woven some really great new people into our traditions and even started some new ones.

Sometimes, what we thought would never be the same, is somehow better.

And I'm just grateful for all my families. :)

And it's all good.

I am grateful for the effort my parents put forth when I was young, because it has shaped the way Brian and I are raising our babies and our mutual agreement on the importance of creating THEIR memories.

And going to the tree lot? Yeah, it'll be one of 'em.

So we went to the same tree lot we've been going to since I can remember and were first greeted with a 'surprise in a can' which Al had brought for the kids....

A GRASSHOPPER!

No surprise, Ethan the fearless took right to it. If we'd had a piece of string and a collar, he would've made it a leash and taken it home to raise.

Hunter wasn't AS open to the idea of this critter crawling all over her, but she warmed up to it a heck of a lot quicker than Colton.

But he got there in his own time.

Even my little niece, Brinley got in on the action.

Grasshopper away, let's get a tree! (Me and my trademark Chai Tea Latte in hand)

"Picking out a tree is hard work. Can someone please hold my purse?"

Look at these sweet little tree huggers of mine...

"Oh I hope, I hope, I hope, we get a BIG tree!"

Grammy carried Hunter in and out of the rows of trees. (Cuz you know, sometimes it's dark and scary in there)

Auntie Ami making raspberries at Brinley! (For the record, she was totally cracking up!)

And then there's Al and Ethan. :)

Kisses for my little niece!

Aunt Mary and Brinley

This little boy...THIS little boy.

A little ball of sweet-huggable-Dennis-the-Menace-kinda-trouble-making-raspy-voice-wrap-you-round-his-little-finger-giggling-kissing-kinda boy.

Seriously. When did they grow up?

I've often wondered how many times babies get kissed in their lifetimes.

Too many to count.

Me and my mini-me

This adventure found us at McDonald's afterward! Yahoo for happy meals!(don't know what happened to all the other pictures from our lunch...

Luckily, we DID catch the kids tasting the falling rain.

I wanna be (almost) 3 again!

To borrow my blog friend and fellow triplet mama, Stacey's Christmas Card Quote,

"Merry Everything, Happy Always!" to you and yours!

Perhaps it's a Christmas miracle. I blogged.

2011-12-21T23:00:00.000-08:00

Stop reading everyone else's, and go do your own damn blog!

There. I said it for you. (I read minds, you know.)

There is so much life I'm loving right now and it's not that I've missed it, but I've missed recording it and sharing it and enjoying it over and over again.

Life happens fast. So fast. Lately, the concept of 'time' seems to be very "in your face." Students I taught 10 years ago reappearing to say "Merry Christmas Miss Daniels, err, Mrs. Bunch" remind me that those itty bitty kindergarteners whom I SWEAR I taught just yesterday are in high school now which means my own itty bitty babies' bums will soon be filling the chairs of my kindergarten class. {Triple Gulp}

2012 is practically knocking down the door, which immediately reminds me that with it will be among other things, my 3 babies' 3rd birthdays, 3 years till my 20th HS reunion. (HOLY CRAP! Didn't I JUST sneak out the window and walk down to the Circle K with my friend Heather like all cool middle schoolers do?)

And there are the adorable "Christmas countdown blocks" that one of my student's moms made me. The fact that the numbers 0 and 6 (as in 06 not 60) are staring back at me is kinda freakin' me out.

And then there's the whole "I could really use another 2 hours in the day phenomenon." Okay, who am I kidding? I could really use another 6 hours. I haven't been to bed before midnight or 1 am in the longest time. Which would be fine if not for the 5 a.m. alarm that yells in my ear 5 days a week. Luckily, I am on vacation right now so that alarm clock is kindly hibernating and in return, my alarm now goes off at about 8:30 each morning to the tune of 3 little faces peering out into my room over their gate, "Mommy! Good morning Mommy!" Oodles more pleasant...

The cycle never ends. Entertain the kids, clean up their messes, make dinner, clean up that mess while entertaining the kids. Do your report cards, make an ornament or two, clean up that mess while distracting 3 kids, play with the kids again, clean the fish bowl, do lesson plans, cut 165 snowman arms, 86 pieces of orange felt noses, clean up that mess, laminate your students ornaments, field a call from hubby saying he won't be home tonight and will be leaving the state for a day, take kids with you to Target because you have no one home to watch them now, do more report cards, drink "Mommy Juice", jammy up and diaper 3 kids, put them to bed, listen to them jump on beds for the next hour, go up and remind them to go to sleep at least 2 times during that hour, check FB, read blogs, start a new post on your own blog. Fall asleep drooling over the laptop leaving blog unfinished. Again. This is my life.

I have tried. I really, really have tried to keep up my blog lately, but 1 a.m. comes so darn quickly and though it's not much, I really DO need those 4 hours of sleep.

Luckily, I don't require much sleep to function and still be a pleasant person, so I've not missed the life that has been happening before my eyes. Here's the bits and pieces of what I'm lovin' right now.

SHOPPING
I. Love. To. Shop. I especially love to shop for others at holiday times. And I EVEN love to shop with my kids. I prefer to have another adult come along, but let's be honest, that is not always an option. So I've learned to shop alone with my trio quite successfully. Yes, I have had moments of deep regret while strolling through Target with cranky, cranky kids, but for the most part, they are good shoppers. The one thing I learned early on is that if you don't just get out and do it, you'll never be comfortable to go out in public with triplets. Young, rascally, funny triplets. So I pretty much like to think I'm a pro now. The key is to play out every possible scenario before you get there...what will you do if you have to park far away? What if there are no carts? Who will hold hands with whom? Are we shopping leisurely or do we have an item in mind? Etc. Etc. (So yeah, I might still be crazy, but I've got this thing bagged!) We've been to Michael's several times this month and I caught this photo of us the other day in the shopping cart on our way into the store. It was so cute, but unfortunately at the last moment, Ethan ducked and so the 3rd kid head is kind of missing. I was seriously bummed. Nerd, I know.

CHRISTMAS TREE ADMIRATION
We put our tree up a few days after Thanksgiving and I proceeded to decorate it late one night, using caution to place all fragile ornaments on the upper 2/3 of the tree, leaving the kids' ornaments down low. I had no idea how interested they would be. It makes me all giddy inside to see the kids standing around the tree, pointing to all the ornaments and discussing them with one another. "Look Honter, dhere's mommy and dhere's daddy." They absolutely love finding the ornaments that have their photos on them and they promptly take them off the tree and carry them around the house for the next hour. At 8 months old, I made Santa Hand ornaments using their little itty bitty handprints and they think it's so neat to place their almost 3 year old hands on top of their baby handprints and say, "I so big now." :) {Insert tug at heartstrings here}. "Yes babies, you are so big now."

Our First Christmas: Handprint Santas

2nd Christmas: Handprint Trees

3rd Christmas: Handprint Reindeer

RANDALL
I said I wasn't gonna do it this year, but I caved. I wanted the memories and I wanted to add another element of holiday fun to our family. It's the beginning of a new tradition. I'm talking about the 'Elf on the Shelf". I contributed my $30.00 to the the geniuses that are making millions off a plastic doll whose sole purpose in life is to "watch kids and report his findings to Santa." Yeah, we did it. And I'm sure glad we did.

He doesn't get his magic until you give him a name. So to help aid the process, Brian and I offered some suggestions for the kids to choose from. (Had we left it their devices, his name would've been either Buzz, Woody, Mickey, Goofy or Minnie.) Cute now, but later in life, I think there would have been some regret. (On my part- not theirs, I'm sure.) Or maybe I'm just too controlling and really wanted our elf to have an 'elfish' name (whatever that is.) So we brainstormed and then offered the kids theses choices: 'Randall' or 'Bernard.' They took turns saying both names and then each was asked the question, "Do you like Randall or Bernard?" And well, I'd like to introduce you to Randall Bunch, house elf.

Randall is pretty much a celebrity in the house right now. The kids wake up and we immediately start looking for Randall's hiding spot for the day. This is usually followed by 3 squeaky voices excitedly questioning "Wandall, what you doin in my tree?" or "Hey Wandall, why you upsy down?" Hilarious. No one goes to bed without proper elf g'nites. "Good night Wandall. I love you Wandall. See you soon Wandall."

Reading the Story the first night...

(If memory serves, we were *poofing* Randall to give him his powers)

The rules say you can't touch the elves, so Dad is giving them their first close up look at Randall

Clever little elf, he is. Check out just a few of his 'hang out' spots.

In the tree

Hanging from the air vents

Hanging from the blinds

Sitting on the wreath

Hanging on the freezer

Not only that, when we return from any outing and approach the entrance to our subdivision, Hunter ALWAYS exclaims, "Paper's home!" (meaning Piper, our dog.) Seriously, it never fails. But now, as soon as our car reaches that magical point in the neighborhood, she exclaims, "Paper's home! Randall's home! Jag's home! Gracie's home! Nemo's home!" Apparently, he is family now.

But do they get it? Do they get why Randall's really here? Um, not entirely, but enough. We've noticed it in their language. Lately, when someone gets into trouble, someone can be heard saying, "Don't be naughty. Randall doesn't like that. Brian even overheard Hunter talking to Colton in their bedroom saying, "Don't tell Randall, okay Buddy? Don't tell Randall." Hunter knows more than the boys that Randall reports what he sees to 'Santa Laws." I love it.

HOLIDAY CRAFTS
It's not that the only time of year to do crafts is in December, but for some reason, they just FEEL more fun when they are done in preparation for the holidays...So I'm loving it. I love the messes but only because I love what comes from the mess. Little kids, big projects....

Salt Dough Ornaments

Painting her ornament now that it's cooked!

Painting his ornament. (Ethan was too busy playing)

Snowman Coloring Pages

And of course, crafting with the girls. This was our 5th? 6th? annual Cookie/Craft Get Together! We have such a great time every year and it's always interesting how the crafts have changed, the conversations have changed, the whole dynamic has changed. When we started doing this, I don't think any of us had kids....now, there are 9 kids between us. HOLY CRAP! We leave the kids at home (or at Grammy's house, in my case) so that we can have one leisurely night to hang out. I look forward to this event every year! Thanks for the laughs, girls.

Mary, Sarah, Me, Anabelle, Nicole

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. So much more to write about, but I really don't want to delay any further! I feel like if I don't hit publish in the next 5 minutes, it'll be a week from now that I finally do!

So happy holidays to you.

Be extra nice today.

And don't eat too much chocolate.

Just to Tide you Over...

2011-12-21T14:24:00.000-08:00

This is not the post I had intended for today. But, it's a post. I know I did a similar one about a year ago about Mothers of Multiples, but I couldn't resist when I saw one about triplets....So enjoy this little 'nugget' to tide you over until this evening when I do a REAL blog, you know, about us. :)

What's that, they say?

2011-11-26T20:33:00.001-08:00

One of the things I love the most about having triplets this age (2 years, 8 months) is their language. It fascinates me. You'd think as a kindergarten teacher I'd be over it, but I'm so intrigued and entertained by what comes out of my kids' mouths.

When they wake in the mornings, or go down for naps, I'll turn on the monitor and just listen. The way they talk to one another (sometimes nicely and sometimes not) is just too precious. I leave them in their room just so I can listen to them talk and work out problems and get into precarious situations which they then need to get out of on their own. It's absolutely amazing.

Their development is so different at this point, so it's interesting to see how each child uses language to express themselves and to get what they want. (Or don't want). Yet they all have very good receptive and expressive language.

There are so many things they do and say that I don't ever want to forget. So I'm going to jot down just a few of the things that come to mind...I'm sure I'll hit publish and then remember a ton of other funny things they say, but this is a start anyway. :)

HUNTER:

Hunter's language is the most advanced. She not only speaks in fluent sentences, she clearly listens to adults speak and she reuses very appropriate adjectives, adverbs and prepositions. She uses language that she has not even been taught, but rather, she just absorbed. She's so...descriptive. Here's just a sampling...

"Mama, you back hurt? Mama you back hurt still?" (An hour later.)

"Dat stove is hot. I doat want to burn myself. Dont touch the stove mama. Be careful."

"Piper, you stay here. We be right back. You stay here Piper. Okay? I love you Paper."

"No want to take a bath. I no want da water on my ears. I all done mama. I need lotion. I need more lotion on my face."

"I love my new shoes. They're so cute. My new shoes are so pretty."

"Hi Brinley. Hi Baby Brinley. Don't cry Brinley. You want you facifier? You cold? You need a blanket on you feet?"

"Coton stinky. Coton need a new diaper. Colton poopy mama. I not stinky. Colton stinky. Ethan stinky too. Not me. Hunter not stinky."

"I'm hungry. I want cereal. I want Cheerios. I don't want Pops."

ETHAN:

Ethan was the last to really develop his language. He has progressed faster than I imagined he would. There was a time when I wondered if he was ever going to talk. Now, he's just where he needs to be. He has the softest, highest pitch little voice (when he's not screaming). He uses his pointer finger on his right hand to help him emphasize things he's trying to say or point out. It's the cutest thing ever. Further, lately, he has taken on this "teacher role" which is awfully cute. Say he's looking at a puzzle or a book of pictures. He'll point to one and ask you, "Wussat? Then as soon as you answer, he confirms that you are correct. He'll say, "Yes, das twiangle. Wussat? Yes, dat diamon." Some of my other favorite Ethan Speak:

"Hi Cotan. Hi Hotter. You okay? You okay Cotan?"

"Momma. Piggy! Want Piggy Mama!" (Wants a piggy back ride)

"Dhere Queen. Dhere Mater." Want Queen mama!"

"Want Ceerol. (cereal). Want breffest. (breakfast). Want some water. Need ice."

"Wussat? Wussat mommy? Wussat daddy? Dat _____." (Fill in the blank)

Dat hopticopter! Dat Choo Choo Twain. "

"No saring! No saring." (sharing)

"Weady, set, go, go go!"

"Want words mommy. Want watch words."

COLTON:

People are always surprised by Colton's speech, myself included. Because he had a bilateral cleft lip and palate, speech problems were practically inherent. He has been evaluated by Speech Pathologists long before he was ever talking. Thus far, he has not actually required speech services beyond his 6 month/1 year evals. That is impressive. To what do we attribute that to? To Dr. Hurst, for starters. His amazing work repairing Colton's lip and palate no doubt set him up for success. I also attribute it to everyone Colton spends his time with. We speak to him, using descriptive language and encourage him to speak correctly as well. When he mispronounces a word, we say "Colton, watch my mouth. "Bottle. Bo-ttle. Not bobble. Bo-TTle." And then he repeats it correctly. He is a very successful corrector of his language. It's impressive. Further, he has Ethan and Hunter to converse with all day, every day. There is no doubt in my mind that this has improved his speech. Hey may need speech services later on for some minor articulation issues that arise as his dental issues progress, but I have no doubt that his language will be right where it should be.

"Hi. _____. What doin?"

"Hey Mickey. Hey Minnie. Dat's Mickey Bouse. Dat Donald. Hey Pete! Hey Goof!"

"Want Piwates Mummy. Want Treasure. Want penny. Das a nickel."

"You did it! Good job mummy."

"You okay? You okay? I kiss it better?"

"Hi Hopper! You stay here Hopper. Be right back."

"Hi Brinney."

"Want chockey mok? (Want chocolate milk)

"Where's MyQueen? (McQueen). Dat Mater.

"See morcycle. Das Daddy's truck."

And one of my most favorite Colton-isms for the moment is the way he recites things from the movie "CARS." Look at dat shine. With a little Rusteze, you TOO can look like ME. Ka-Chow!" or "Mack! Mack! Hey Mack! Wait. You're not Mack!"

"No like it. No like it mommy. (Which can either mean he doesn't like something or that he's finished playing with something.)

ALL THREE KIDDOS....

All three of them do something I find absolutely hysterical. They use language the way they've heard others use it. For instance, when we see them struggling with something, we say, "Can I help you?" So now, when any one of them needs help they say, "I help you?" instead of "will you help me?"

The same goes for "I hold you mommy?" Instead of saying "you hold me mommy?"

Or putting on shoes, they might say, "I help you?" Instead of "Will you help me?"

Academically speaking (well I AM a teacher). They are even stevens as far as letter knowledge. They all know all their letters, upper and lower case.

They all know their numbers to 10.

They can count. Sometimes to 20 and sometimes they're all a jumble. It's strange how quickly that skill changes.

They know their colors.

They know their shapes (including the pentagon and octagon)

They all know about 16-20 sight words (though I've noticed that they've been forgetting them since we haven't been watching "Meet the Sight Words" quite as much lately. )

They can all follow simple directions ....go get a diaper. Get the wipes too. Go look in the playroom. Get the purple ball. Put the car on the table. Lie down. Zip up your jammies. Go sit in your chair. Wash your hands, etc. (and Hunter can often follow fairly complicated multi-step directions). Hunter, go upstairs and look under your bed. Get the cup that's under your bed. Bring it to mommy."

And they are all repeaters. They will repeat anything you say. Did you hear that? Anything.

"Dammit Hunter."

"Oh my God."

"Oh crap."

"Knock it off."

"Sh@t"

"Come on my Bit#@hes" (as heard on 'Two and a Half Men')

And all the other choice phrases we wish we'd never uttered in their presence....oops. Lesson learned.

So that's that....for now.

All from the mouths of babes!

We meet again, Santa....

2011-11-25T17:32:00.001-08:00

Not a day goes by that I don't laugh and think to myself, "Wow, that would make a great blog." But man, life is kickin' my butt lately. And by the time I have a minute to write about it, I'm too darn tired to even open the computer. To compound matters, my time on FB and Pinterest has been meager at best. {Gasp!}

So here I am takin' baby steps back to my blog. I have missed it. I have missed YOU!

Life is happening quickly 'round here folks.

Today, we skipped the craziness of the Black Friday Early Morning Sales and instead opted for a trip to the mall at a much more decent hour. Brian's family was with us for Thanksgiving so we ventured out for something to do! We were pleasantly surprised with a very UN-crowded parking lot and a surprisingly pleasant crowd in the mall!

Best part? Guess who was waiting for the Bunchkins?

Kris Kringle,

Sinter Klaus,

Popo Jijo.

The One. The ONLY.

Santa Claus!

And apparently, no one else even realized that there in the center of the mall, stood a gigantic red and green village made of candy canes and snowflakes housing the jolliest fellow in all the land.

So we walked right up and planted three little bodies on Santa's lap.

Two could've cared less but one...well, one was a wee bit terrified. I'll let you figure out which one.

How can you not smile at this? I mean really. Isn't this Christmas? All families MUST have a photo of their child screaming in Santa's lap.

Once I get beyond the crying, all I can see in this picture are kids. Not babies, but big kids.

Just two years ago, they were wee babies, all helmet clad, posing for the picture that would land itself on the front page of the Arizona Daily Star.

Look how much they've grown...

Sigh.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone, and Merry 'almost' Christmas to you!

3 Little Pumpkins....

2011-11-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

What began 4, maybe 5 years ago, on a whim, inadvertently became a tradition.

Takin' a trip to the Pumpkin Patch in October with our friends, Dave, Denise, Seth and Josh.

We alternate between Apple Annie's and Buckelew Farms and this October found us back at

Apple Annie's.

Sadly, our trip this year had a slightly different feel.

We were missing something important...Seth.

He passed away just a month before at much, much too young an age.

Each of us was thinking about Seth, probably at different moments, and probably for different reasons.

But none of us had forgotten about him.

None of us ever will.

We still talked about him.

Josh still picked a pumpkin for him.

And we grownups remarked how strange it felt not to be 4 wheelin' in the pumpkin patch with Seth's wheelchair and the triplets' stroller for the first time.

We'll still go the pumpkin patch each year. And each year, we'll remember Seth.

Lil' Miss Hollywood, her daddy and Colton

Dave and Ethan

My little pumpkins

Dave, Josh and Denise

3 giant butternut squashes later, we left the farmer's market.

And hopped on the hayride!

Till we landed in the pumpkin patch. (Which, we realized, is much, much more 'picked over' when you go the very last weekend in October!)

Just once. Seriously. Just once I'd like for everyone to look at the camera. :)

HOLLYWOOD Hunter!!

"Buh Bye Punkin. Buh Bye Dirt. Buh Bye sky."

Sweet Ethan doesn't want anyone or anything to be left out...

Daddy's teachin the wee farmers how to drive a tractor.

"Hey Kids, come here! Come take a picture with Mommy...."

"No really. Kids. Come here. Just take a quick picture with mommy."

Story of my life. Whad'ya gonna do?

Look how many bigs we are! :)

Josh

Oh, Apple Annie's....I love your pumpkins, I love your apples and I LOVE your apple pie and ice cream.

But YOU'RE killin' me with YOUR grammar.

Sigh...It's okay. I'll still come back.

Arachnophobia

2011-11-02T22:37:00.000-07:00

I feel a little guilty about admitting this, but I had this post ready yesterday and I didn't post it. You want to know why? Because if I had posted it on November 1st, I was afraid I'd feel compelled to join my friend Nicole in a November Blog-a-day marathon and that would've stressed me out, kept me up late, probably gotten me sick, tired, resentful, annoyed, etc. So I purposely held off on publishing it until today when, on November 2, it's now too late to sign up for the 'Blog-a-day' challenge.

Is that clever of me or what?

I'll do my best to post at least once every 3 days instead....

Now, before you continue to read, I must caution you. If you dislike creepy crawlies, are spooked by cute bugs, or have any form of arachnophobia, you ought to stop reading now because this post is full of spiders. Itsy, bitsy spiders.

Halloween 2009: 3 peas in a pod.

Halloween 2010: The 3 little pigs.

Halloween 2011: The Itsy Bitsy Spiders

I think I've said it before, but I actually dislike Halloween. Aside from the part where you get to see helpless little kids dressed up like everything from bananas to dinosaurs, I really just don't like it. But I go with it because it's not about me. It's about my kids.

So this year, we went as spiders.

My biggest challenge turned out to be the triple wagon and how to incorporate it into our spider theme. So I decided to cover it in web....and spiders. It worked out okay...not great. Just okay. Whad'ya gonna do? Jag the cat said it turned out great.

So here are five billion photos from Halloween....

HALLOWEEN PART ONE

Who: Me, Brian, the Trio, My Sister and Brinley, My mom and Al

Where: Reid Park Zoo's Howl-o-ween.

We had a great time and only had to wait about 15 minutes before we were in the actual zoo! (A major improvement from last year's wait of more than an hour!)

Brinley and Aunt Mary arrived at the same moment we did :)

Oh my goodness, how my kids adore her.

And people, have you ever seen a cuter flower than a Brinley Flower??

Cutest Damn Flower I've ever seen!

My Hunter Spider

Ethan Spider

Colton Spider

Mom and Al

Grammy and Brinley

Mom and Al

I told them that this is what happens to bad little triplets....

Havin' some candy

The last stop before you reach the exit was a little barn, with a little Hoe-down" for the kids. ADORABLE! They loved getting out of their wagon to dance!

Ethan and Brian

Happy HOWL=O-WEEN everyone!

HALLOWEEN PART TWO

WHO: Me, Brian, the Trio, my Dad, Genise, Auntie Valerie and Uncle Jim

WHERE: Church Harvest Festival

Auntie Valerie and Uncle Jim

My little family

Last year, he surprised them with a Big Bad Wolf Mask...this year,my dad jumps in front of the wagon from outa nowhere, wearing some freaky, creepy mask. Surprisingly, no one cried.

Taking off the mask to reveal that it's really just "Ponka"

My Dad, Colton and Genise

"Lead the way Auntie!"

Gotta love this hairdo!

I loved that this year the kids could actually be involved in some of the games. This one was ring the coke can. If your ring lands on one of the coke cans, you win a free can of soda! Let's just say, they were more or less 'giving' them away, as my little ones needed several tries before they "won".

Here's Colton, picking out his prize.

Then there was dinner. My dad treated everyone to dinner...And boy, did he go all out! $9 for 9 hot dogs, 9 bags of chips and 9 bottles of water! Can't beat that! :)

Trying on Uncle's Hair!

Trying on Ponka's Mask

Trying on Genise's hat!

Perhaps my favorite part of the night came at the very end when Brian pilfered some balloons for our kids. They walked all the way out to the car with them. Once we got to the car, my dad 'let his ballon go' as all three kids stared into the black sky and watched as that balloon floated higher and higher until it was outa sight. Then it happened.

Colton did the same. He let his balloon go! And didn't cry.

Then Hunter released hers. And she didn't cry.

Then Ethan let go of his. And he too did not cry.

Instead, there was a chorus of "Buh-Bye Ba-yoons!" , "See you later Bayoons!" "Have a good day!" "Night night bayoons!"

They were so cute!! And I was shocked that no one freaked out once they realized what they had done cuz when I say these kids love balloons, that is an understatement. They were so darn cute!

And that, my friends, is how we do Halloween!

See you next year!

Shut the Front Door!

2011-10-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

Last week-Baskin Robbins.

This week-The Mall.

Brian needed a couple of dress shirts so rather than just go solo, you know, in peace and quiet, at his own pace, with the ability to look wherever he wants for however long he wants, he invited us. :)

His little home zoo.

They were awesome! There was no stroller involved (it was at home) so they were FREE! But they do so well nowadays staying together.

Here they are perusing Dillard's.

Hunter is shopping for some gloves. She must be anticipating a cold winter.

You can never go wrong with mirrors. They were so funny.

She's wondering why she can't see him in her mirror and he's wondering where she is in his mirror. Funny kids.

Peek-a-boo around the circular shirt display!

Next Stop? "The Finish Line"

They crack me up, because they refer to all benches as "couches".

"Mama? I sit on the couch?"

And then they parted ways and each found his own couch!

Ethan's couch

Colton's couch on the left and Hunter's couch on the right.

New Shoes? Nah. Not today.

Yes, I made them pose on another 'couch' just outside the mall....will they ever all be looking at the camera at the same time ever again?

Another good outing!

Now, moving on to our next topic.

If you are easily grossed out or are squeamish, you are free to skip this next photo.

I'm really only blogging it because doesn't everyone need photographic proof of this type of thing?

Hunter has woken up from naptime with a bloody nose. I sat her up on my bathroom counter and we wiped the blood off her face. I had no Q-Tips up there to swipe the inside of her nose to really clean her up, so we proceeded to go downstairs. She played for a little while and then I noticed her nose was starting to look "drippy" again. So I got some Q-Tips, wet them and started swiping the inside of her nostril. I could tell she had some major coagulation goin on in there and that we were going to need a tissue. I grabbed a paper towel and held it to her nose. "Blow, Hunter."

And that she did. Right into my tissue.

(She's very good at blowing her n nose.)

And lots of blood came out as WELL as this....

In case you need some help here-That's blood and that black ring is a rubber elastic for her hair! Good times, folks. I'm only unsure about whether it went in through the ol' nostril or if she swallowed it and then somehow aspirated it back up through her throat and nose? Is that even possible? WHO KNOWS?! Either way, don't all parents wonder what things their children put in their noses. :) I actually thought it was the first time she has done this, but as I sit here, I am remembering that it was Hunter who jammed a vanilla yogurt covered raisin up her nose a year ago or so.

I can only wonder who and what will be next.

And then there's THIS! "Shut the Front Door" are the exact words that left my mouth when I first saw it! I just KNEW IT! I knew it was something everyone hoped and wished for! In my most recent Toys R book, I see this!

And now, in case you are blind like I am....

Triplets! This is hilarious!! I may have to get some!

Oh right, I already have some! :)

What's your flavor?

2011-10-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

As Baskin Robbins' goes, I'm a Cherries Jubilee kinda girl.

Have been for at least 15 years.

I'm not sure whose tastebuds I inherited, because I can confidently assert that both my mom and dad (and even my sister, for that matter) almost always lean toward the chocolate-ish flavors while I always lean towards the fruity ones. (With the exception of say, a raspberry-swirled-chocolate. That IS something my mom might get. Okay, and she does love a good strawberry cheesecake.)

And then there's Brian. I've often thought maybe I inherited HIS dad's taste buds. Over the years, I've discovered that he and I have many common food loves....cherry pie being one of them. (Hence, the cherries jubilee.)

Brian? Not so much. He's a mint chocolate chip kinda guy. "Fruit doesn't go in ice cream," he'd say.

So the question remains- Whose taste buds will our kids inherit?

For now, it doesn't matter because I pick for them! And tonight screamed Rainbow Sherbet all around!

So, anyhoo, there was no occasion for this outing.

Just a dad realizing that he often comes home from work so late that he misses out on the fun stuff. So he made a deal with his little girl the night before, that we would go get ice cream when he got home. I'm sure by now you don't need me to tell you that she remembered.

About 12 times that day, she remembered.

So here we were. On an ice cream date with their daddy. (And me too.) :)

Much like I might window shop at Bloomingdales in NYC....

"The Boys," as Hunter refers to them.

This face...I love this face. She's such a squirt.

And this face...

And this face...

And this face.

AND this face!

The fam. Thank you nice stranger lady for taking our picture.

Such the ham, he is.

Playing 'guess which hand it's in," with Daddy.

My little girl and me

These next two photos are two of my favorites I've taken in a long time. For one thing, the fact that they orchestrated the two photos so perfectly reminds me that she's not a baby anymore. She is a little human and she 'gets' us. It's such a weird feeling to be able to talk to your 'baby' and say, "Okay, now put your hand like this, and don't smile." And then say, "okay this time, let's smile." It's sort of surreal, really.

So here they are.

Don't smile....

Smile!

Hunter Olivia, you are such a precious little thing.

And you boys...so rough and tumble. Could you be any sweeter? Watch the interaction between these two. They kept holding hands and then they'd fling their hands in the air and then do it again.

Then Dad suggested "knuckles"

I believe there was even a Lightning McQue.en inspired "Ka-CHOW" at the conclusion of this "fist bump."

This was a great little outing with my little family.

The ice cream was simply a bonus. :-)

On Hunting, Ice Capades & Poor Parenting.

2011-10-19T23:27:00.000-07:00

So as it turns out, there's a little Hunter in all of us.

Some of us hunt deer, elk, javelina...

Some of us hunt for deals at Target,

and the three wee ones hunt for flies.

Oh yes. Fly hunting has become an actual sport in this house the past few days.

There's fly sighting....with the littles calling out actual fly locations for the others.

"Dhere. Dhere he is. Quick! Get im. Dhere he goes!"

And there's stalking...with actual children crouching at the knees lurking through the house, fly swatters in hand, peering around corners in true hunter fashion.

And then there's the killing. There is some serious stark-raving-mad waving of fly swatters in the air, on the cupboards, on the floor, etc. in the same frantic, even spastic fashion-just like their father does it, by the way. I may or may not be leading that charge with my very own red swatter...

And then there's the celebrations after the kill.

"Good job, mommy! You got im! You got dat fwy!"

What then follows is freaking hilarious. As if they've immediately forgotten that they JUST cheered ME on for killing the fly, I accidentally-on-purpose fling it so that it lands on the floor in front of them. And at the very moment that it lands, I say "There he is! Get him! Get him!" And just like crazy people, that dead fly gets deader and deader and deader as it its guts get squished between the grates of a pink, a green AND a blue fly swatter. Poor flies. They never see it coming.

The kill.

Examining the fly carcass.

Know what else I have pictures of? Adults dressed like Toys skating around an ice rink while mesmerized toddlers stare in awe.

I am of course talking about Dis.ney's Toy Stor.y on Ice.

Have I mentioned how much I love my kids?

They are so crazy sometimes,

so sassy other times,

so mischievous most of the time,

but so darn cute all of the time.

{I'm their mom, what can I say?}

There was a troop of us. I mean a troop besides just MY troop. My dad and Genise, my good friend and resident Bunchkin sitter, Niki, and the Pearsons- Anabelle, Brian and Jaxon. We all headed out with half of Tucson to the opening night of Toy Story on Ice!

The cool mother that I am dressed my kids in matching 'Curious George' T-Shirts. Why? Um, I'm not sure really. I guess partly because I couldn't find 3 Toy Story T-Shirts in the sizes I needed and partly because these shirts were long sleeved, brightly colored and in the right size. And cute to boot.

Aside from Halloween, I don't know that I've ever dressed them the same but there's definitely something to be said for quickly identifying your 3 kids in a big crowd, when you only have to look for one outfit. Alas, here we are.

My little family.

Niki and 2/3 of the Bunchkins.

Niki, Brian and a different 2/3.

Colton and me

Temptation is rough.

But I didn't buy myself anything. {hee hee}

We didn't buy them anything, either.

Because they really didn't need it.

And much to my surprise, they didn't even throw a fit.

Probably because standing at the top of the arena looking down was mesmerizing enough all by itself.

That little girl's head is the little girl who sat right in front of me. In front of her? Yeah, that's the ice. For real. The kids LOVED being able to see everything so close up.

Brian and Ethan

Genise, my dad and Colton

I couldn't NOT smile watching them watch the show.

I was sitting there thinking about all the times we went to the Ice Capades as kids.

It's all so magical when you're this little.

Best seat in the house.

Though Ethan also seemed to enjoy watching the show from this vantage point. Crazy kid.

And there was popcorn.

Yummy buckets of $10 popcorn.

Which promptly fell straight to the floor only minutes after we bought it.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Now just try and contain yourselves. I, Ami Bunch, mother of triplets confess to letting my kids (and maybe even my friend's kid) eat popcorn off the floor.

Yep. I said it.

I tried to detract them, I did.

But they were like flies to sh#@.

It was 4 against 1 and frankly, that was a battle I did not care to fight at that moment.

So I just let it go.

I mean honestly, they eat crap off our floors all the time.

Please, try to contain your disgust for a moment because the best part came when the young dad up and behind us tried to get my attention and then proceeded to point to the kids eating the popcorn off the ground.

I smiled politely and just kind of nodded my head nonchalantly {knowing full well what he was pointing for}.

Somewhat distressed, he points again and this time adds some urgent sign language for 'eat' to let me know that the kids are EATING the popcorn off the FLOOR.

{Cuz surely I must not have seen it right?}

Imagine his horror when I smiled back and said, "Yes, I know. I'm okay with it."

And then he smiled an awkward smile, and actually laughed a bit. (Probably in disbelief, but in MY mind, he's thinking, "You're so COOL. I only WISH my wife were as easy going as you. I wish MY kid could eat popcorn off the ground.")

Yeah. That's how the story will go when I tell it from now on.

Besides, whose stupid idea was it to give my kids a freaking 25 minute intersession?

That's totally asking for trouble.

Maybe I should've been embarrassed that my kids know as much about Toy Story as they do, but I wasn't. I was proud as they called out every character's name like they were beckoning their best friends to come over by them!

Thanks for the fun!

There were some happy little kids tonight...

Good memories made, for sure.

And just think, someday, they'll be taking their own kids to some new age Ice Capades show and they'll remember this moment....

Isn't it great to be a kid?

An ode to Woobie

2011-10-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

Aside from her mommy, of course, (yes, you can laugh) there are really 2 great loves of Hunter's life.

In 2nd place is 'Baby'.

And in first place is 'Woobie."

(An affectionate term I had remembered from Michael Keaton's 1983 movie 'Mr. Mom'.)

(A special movie clip included at the end)

Woobie was a gift to the babies (actually 3 woobies) from our good friend Mike Morrison's daughter, Meghan. The boys never really cared much about theirs so Hunter adopted them and has since been lovin on all 3 of them. HOWEVER, she loves HER woobie the MOSTEST. It's only about 12 inches by 12 inches so it's the perfect size for little arms to grasp and carry around. And that, she does.

Here is Hunter, much, much younger carrying around ALL the woobies.

(I'd never noticed Colton's expression in this photo until just now. He's clearly thrilled about something. Hilarious.)

Her love for her woobie is a very special kind of love.

It's the kind of love that made us consider immediately running out and purchasing another one just like it in case anything unfortunate ever happened to it....

Unfortunately, we never did.

And woobie is lost. Disappeared. Misplaced. Left behind. Who knows, really.

Woobie is straight up gone.

Unfortunately, it's such a commonplace item in our household that no one can really pinpoint exactly when we last saw it. Kind of like the 2 missing forks in the silverware drawer. Hunter was pretty distraught (though surely not as distraught as I, knowing the real implications of a truly lost woobie) the first day she realized she couldn't find it. Nevertheless, we kept reassuring her we would keep looking for it, until it showed up. A few months back, we were actually prepared to drive back to Phoenix to Nana and Papa's house to retrieve a left-behind woobie. Thankfully, it showed up just in the nick of time in the storage compartment of one of the kids' chairs that Al and Grammy built.

"OHH, Wooooobie!" Hunter proclaimed when she saw it again.

Woobie might as well be a family member.

It literally goes everywhere Hunter goes.

That said, let me clarify my little girl's relationship with her woobie. Her attachment to her woobie is not one in which she becomes unconsolable or able to function when it is lost or when we make her leave it in the car at the county fair. She can still function, she just thinks about woobie constantly.

She really, really loves her woobie.

And when it's gone, she's sad.

So, so sad.

Woobie's been a lot of places with Miss Hunter.

It's been to Dr. Goldberg's office.

It's spent many an hour in the backyard playing.

Woobie has doubled as a dance floor,

Woobie is never far from where she is.

(See it off to the left side of the screen?)

When she cleans, woobie is nearby.

When she's on an airplane, woobie is tucked safely under her little chicken wing.

When she's waiting in an airport, so is woobie.

When she's walking downtown Kansas City, Woobie walks downtown Kansas City.

When Hunter naps at the Crayola Cafe, woobie provides a comfy place to do so.

Woobie, Baby, Hunter.

Hunter, Woobie, Baby.

Baby, Hunter, Woobie.

Best friends forever.

Woobie has watched Grammy Sky Dive.

Woobie has spent some unfortunate time in the toilet.

Thus, Woobie has also spent some much needed time in the washing machine.

Woobie goes to almost all restaurants...here woobie is at Chili's.

Woobie goes to Babies R Us.

And where ever we travel, so does Woobie.

Here, woobie is visiting our friends the Jen, Nate and Ava Borquez.

Do you get the gist here people?

And this is only a SAMPLING of the photos I could've posted.

I would not be surprised if, in a few years, I have to sit down with Hunter and have THIS conversation. (Thank you Michael Keaton for paving the way for me.)

You may want to scroll down first and pause the MixPod music player so you can really hear the video.)

Anyhoo, we've been looking for woobie for days now. We keep looking in all the same places we've already looked. You know, just in case. We've looked everywhere 4 times a piece. Hunter, God love her, periodically throws out suggestions of where she thinks Woobie is. "Mama! Woobie in da car! Woobie in mama's car!" And though I know it's not, we go out and look anyway.

The fact that we have somehow turned it into a game is, I think, helping with her separation anxiety. Every day, before she goes to bed, right when she wakes up and at random times through the day, she proclaims "Where IS woobie? We'll find it mama. We'll find my woobie." {Please let this be true, I think to myself.}

Recently, we'd had several visitors to our house, so I shot out a FB message to them in hopes that I had somehow sent woobie home in their belongings. One was to my friend Jen Borquez, who promptly responded that woobie was not with them.

The second came from a blogging friend who I was SO excited to meet after years of following her blog and her quest to becoming a mother. She also replied that they had not seen woobie.

Sigh. The only other think I could think of, was that woobie fell out of our choo choo wagon at the zoo and was currently comforting the otters or the ducks and was surely never going to be seen again. All we could do now was keep the game going. Just keep asking "Where IS woobie? We can't find it! I wonder where woobie is" and hope that someday she would just understand that woobie was simply, sadly gone.

And then it happened.

I got a phone call, while in the car on the way to Toy Story 3 on Ice, from my blogging friend.

Friend: "Ami?"

Me: "Yes..."

Friend: "Does Hunter's woobie have polka dots around the edge?"

Me: YES!!!

Friend: "We found woobie!"

No joke. I almost could not get off the phone fast enough to tell Hunter it had been found. I was giving my friend a stroller in which the kids played all morning before she and her baby girl came to get it.

Well, I absent mindedly folded woobie up into the stroller when I was setting it aside for them. Thankfully, she opened the stroller 4 days later when she really could've set it in the garage for who knows how long!

By now, I know you don't need to me to explain how excited Hunter was when I told her that Woobie had been found.

The smile. The big ol' smile...oh yeah. It was worth the wait.

"My woobie?"

Yes baby. Your woobie.

Then we got this photo of my friend's baby taking care of woobie before they mailed it back to Hunter.

At least we know it was in good hands.

So if you need Hunter in the next day, she'll be outside waiting by the mailbox. :)

Don't you just love happy endings?

I know I do.

Happy Blogoversary to Me

2011-10-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

Who knew it was such a momentous day?

Perusing my own blog earlier today, I scrolled down and then abruptly back up. The little icon on my sidebar caught my attention. "Your Blogoversary is today" it so kindly reminded me! And how nice of my computer to remember me. :)

Wow! 3 years ago today, I posted that first photo of the 3 black blobs who would become my Colton, my Hunter and my Ethan. (Random Sidenote: In case you've ever questioned the equality of my love for my 3 babies because of the way I address them, fear not. I 'almost' always address them or refer to them in their birth order, which is Colton, Hunter and then Ethan.') Furthermore, when I lay clothes out for them or sippy cups, toothbrushes, etc., I do them in birth order as well. The only thing that's really not in order are the beds in their room, and yes, if you must know, it bothers me to no end. The reason for the bed order is that it mimics the order they were in while in the NICU, and at the time, it made sense to us to keep it the same at home. Anyhoo. Just thought I'd add that in case anyone was afraid that I loved Ethan the least because I always list him last. :)

Moving on. :)

It's so crazy to me to look back...first to a time when they were just blobs on a screen.
Then they became heartbeats on a screen.
Then they became 'A', 'B' and 'C' on a screen.
Then they became baby Boy, Boy and Boy on a screen.
Then they got names and became Colton, Ethan and Hunter on a screen.
But THEN, in a big twist of fate, they became Boy, Boy and GIRL on a screen.
And yet they remained Colton, Ethan and (baby girl) Hunter on a screen.
And alas, they were born Colton, Hunter (who snuck out 2nd instead of 3rd) and then Ethan.
And NOW they are real live human beings who have changed my life forever.
They are my babies.
I growed them. :)

And on this, my blogoversary, I just wanted to say "I LOVE MY LIFE!"
I love how perfectly imperfect it is.

I love that my hillbilly boys ride their quads in onesies in 90 degree heat, with winter hats on their heads.

And I love my sassy little girl who is, well, an awful lot like her sassy mother.

And I love this guy! I love that he's totally rockin the triplet dad thang.

So there. Happy Blogoversary to me!

Life is good!

Bugs & Bedrooms (but not together) :)

2011-10-04T20:15:00.000-07:00

I guess I really shouldn't be and yet, I am. Surprised, that is. At how little fear kids have when it comes to bugs and lizards, etc. But then again, why WOULD they be afraid?

They haven't lived long enough to know that sometimes bugs are creepy.

I supposed when you're 2 and half a bug is no different than a wind up toy.

It moves.

And THAT makes it fun.

For the record, bugs don't really freak me out. (Unless it's a cockroach.) I mean, I live in the desert. I'm used to a variety of creepy critters and still catch scorpions and spiders and release them back to the desert as opposed to killing them.

But when you're in a zone, washing dishes and your daughter hands you something which you fully expect to be a hairband or a penny or a piece of trash and it's actually a bug, you do that whole

shreak-and-flail-your-arms-flinging-that-bug-wildly act.

And then you realize it was just a June Bug.

And it was dead.

And now your daughter thinks you're crazy.

So I'm getting used to this whole 'bring mommy treasures' act and I'm just cautious about which gifts I accept. I at least look first. :)

The other week, my dad, "Ponka" as they call him was visiting. He witnessed the kids' fascination with this poor little June Bug who sadly met his demise at Casa de Bunch.

I don't think they meant to kill him, but little hands are kinda rough on littler bugs. (So 6 little hands are pretty much torture.) They checked him out up close and took turns picking him up, putting him down, turning him over, turning him back.

And Aunt Kristen had given the kids each a mini flashlight the week before. Aunt Kristen is a genius. You have a two year old you need to get a gift for? I'm just saying, go for it. Get him a flashlight. They use them everywhere. They take them everywhere. They are perfect for examining bugs.

Here they are examining their victim.

Ponka is doing his best to prevent unnecessary torture to the bug.

I'm sorry, little bug. I really am.

But you're just...so...

interesting!

Moving on now, I have finished the 'main chunk' of the kids' bedroom makeover.

So far, mama likey!

Thank you Ponka and Genise for our new beds!

The kids absolutely love that they now have 'ownership' over their beds, and yet every single night Hunter gets upset when I refuse to take her letters down. Sigh....

The adjacent wall (to the right of Colton's bed in this photo) will eventually become some version of this ABC wall, which I found on Pinterest, but originally came from here:

But this will come in time....for now, I'm just loving that they are loving their new room.

And sleeping has become almost normal once again. Like I had mentioned, it was almost always Ethan who refused to stay in his bed. But with the assistance of my sister's video monitor, I am able to use the intercom feature to quietly say, "Ethan Bradley, get in your bed and go to sleep." And now, for the most part, he stays. Their 'time off task' has decreased tremendously and they more or less fall asleep within about 45 minutes or so.

All in all, I am one happy mom! They still sleep late (8-8:30 ish) and they go up to their beds at the same time they did when they were in cribs (8:30 ish). I cannot complain!

So there you have it!

Next up, pictures of my organization frenzy!

Up-cakes

2011-10-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

"I cooook mama? Mama, I hep you coook?" (the extra 'o's are not a mistake.) "I see up there?" (Translation: please get my stepstool for me, Mama.) What can I say? Girl loves to help in the kitchen. Usually it's with me, but sometimes, she manages to woo her daddy into baking cupcakes with her. Such was the case a few weeks ago.

Lately, you see, she's been a busy little baker in her fake kitchen and has been forcing all of us to enjoy the most deliciously plastic cupcakes you've ever chipped your teeth on. Well, in a stroke of good timing, I had just made Brian read an article called '50 Rules for Dads with Daughters' which left him feeling extra sentimental. What came of it was an offer to his only little girl to make cupcakes with her daddy. With pink frosting and sprinkles and everything. JUST like her plastic ones.

"Hunter? Do you want to help daddy make cupcakes?" he asked her.

SOLD.

What followed was one of the most heartwarming gestures I've seen in a long time. I remained completely absent from this process, (other than just taking the photos) so that the two of them could do what they do!

Here's my little baker with almost all her needed ingredients.

Step One: Read the Directions. (The teacher in me likes how he's tracking the print with his finger.)

Next up, pour in the oil.

Now add the mix. (After you cut it open, of course)

Never mind Colton...he was ~~trying on~~ (putting away perhaps?) my shoes.

Unhappy that her brother is trying to get in on HER fun baking adventure.

Let him lick the batter and he'll be out of your hair.

I'm sure they make these warnings for a reason.

But that doesn't mean we have to listen. :)

Okay, well photos and THIS was my involvement.

Taking em out of the oven!

Can only mean one thing....TIME TO DECORATE!

Pink frosting, just like the plastic cupcakes.

And sprinkles just like the plastic ones.

VIDEO ALERT!

I think my favorite part of this video is at the end, when Brian's cell phone rings and Hunter starts dancing to the beat.

The four cupcakes at the bottom of the picture are her plastic ones.

The test audience (he approved.)

And so did she.

Even the next morning!

Good times. Further more. Girl calls 'em "Up Cakes."

Is there anything cuter?

*Stay tuned tomorrow for an update on the sleep situation as well as photos of their room redo almost complete!! Woo hoo! Things hanging on the wall = a happy me.

Madam Foreperson, the verdict please....

2011-09-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

They slept.

The whole night.

No one fell out.

No one woke up.

But not until they had logged a good hour an a half of jumping time first.

And not until they'd each tried out each bed.

And not until they'd been Super-nannied by Brian and me 8 times each.

And not until they made their final bed selections.

Let the evidence show that not one Bunchkin slept in his or her own bed.

(Follow the arrow from each child's intended bed to the bed he or she in fact slept in.)

Good times.

However, let's fast forward to nap time today. While I grocery shopped, I received a text from my sister, Mary who was kindly watching the trio. Keep in mind that I had said I'd come home from shopping and put them down for naps so that she wouldn't have to do the "Supernanny" bit on them herself while trying to still pay attention to her 4 week old.

The text said, "6 eyes closed...Hunter asked to take a nap and they followed. Stayed in for about 10 minutes."

That meant that she had stayed with them for about 10 minutes, and that was all it took. They stayed in their beds, they snuggled under their comforters and closed their eyes and slept.

HALLELUJAH!

**Sidenote: I got three 16x20 poster frames today for a smokin' deal at Michael's. (Pretty sure the lady at the checkout was ready to give them to me for free if I would just take the screaming trio OUT of the store, but that's just our life. Nothing a 39 lollipop can't fix.) Nevertheless, they (the frames, not the kids) are currently propped on each headboard with each child's photo in them, so I could, you know, get 'the feel' for how they will look above each bed. And yeah, I pretty much LOVE IT! If I know me and my impatience, they'll be hanging on the walls tomorrow. Which leaves mod-podging their names for my next project. I love being on break.

1,016 days

2011-09-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

Yep. It was a mere 1,016 days

(2 years, 9 months and 12 days)

(24, 384 hours)

(1, 463,040 minutes)

ago

that ~~we were~~ he was doing this:

Building 3 cribs while I cooked our 3 babies. I remember this day as well as I did 1,016 days ago.

My babies lived in these cribs for 888 days.

They played in these cribs, they slept soundly in these cribs, they cried in these cribs.

Oh, and they scaled the rails of these cribs, which brings us to today.

Today, they came down. (I know, I know, they sort of came down once before, but only for a day so it doesn't count.) This time, there's no going back.

Today was spent undoing. And stifling some "where has the time gone" tears, (mine) and watching my big girl help her daddy carry away her crib-the crib we placed her in when she was a mere 3 lb. 8 oz.

"You see that face, Hunter?" (Referring to mine.) "Remember it. You're gonna see that face many more times in your life."

So beginning at about 10:00 this morning, Brian began the undoing process. One at a time, he took a crib apart and I carried it down to the garage where I placed them into various give away piles.

Much the way she does with any of his projects, Hunter stayed close by her daddy in case he needed help. Okay, mostly just to check in and offer a "Hi Daddy" every now and again, and a "What doin, Daddy?" here and there, but she does enjoy helping.

And his patience has grown tremendously the past 2 and a half years and watching him teach her how to turn the alan wrench just about melts my heart.

The best part is the good job kiss she gets for helping!

Alas, the remnants.

And I'll be honest, I wasn't going to post these videos, because I haven't been able to for the past year and a half or so. But purely by accident, I uploaded them using this new Blogger interface and son of a gun, it worked! So enjoy our lame videos! (Now that I know it works, I'll be sure to turn the camera the proper way so you don't have to crank your necks.)

You didn't think the boys were going to stay away the whole time, did ya?

They're like zoo animals who just got set free!

I didn't want to discuss the filth that coated the walls where grubby little feet have kicked the past 888 days, but well, here we are.

Washing walls. "Coton's feet dirty, mama." Yes, they are little girl.

At this point, Brian decided to grab a chair so he could see about fixing their fan. In all her mightiness, she grabbed on to that chair and said, "I hold it." Seriously? I love her.

And just like that, the cribs were gone.

The beds were there.

And 4 hours later, 3 cribs had been undone and 3 beds had been constructed.

Camp Bunchkin is ready for business.

If you ask me, the best part of this whole process was watching the mattresses come to life. They come packed like this-all rolled up and vacuumed sealed.

You simply remove the outer packaging,

Then make a slit so that it can be unrolled,

Then slit the packaging again,

And watch it fill with air!

See how much it's plumping up and it's been just a second or two.

Ta da! And just like that, we have.....

Camp Bunchkin!

Unfortunately, the space between each bed is even less than I thought it would be...

So our big headed boys cannot even walk between the two beds without their heads getting stuck! (Go ahead. Just try not to laugh!) I suppose it's one way to keep them from getting too unruly up there!

So...as cute as these little beds are, they pretty much don't care for them yet.

Nap time was non-existent.

And even though a tired little Hunter requested that she, "go take a nap" a whole hour and a half before her usual bed time, they are still wide awake up there.

Losing steam, yes, but still wide awake.

Taking turns getting stuck in between beds and jumping from bed to bed to bed.

But that's okay. It's only the first night. Right??? :)

Right?? :)

Go ahead, say it.

2011-09-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!

Yeah, yeah...Once again, I KNOW! It has taken me an entire quarter of school to realize just how busy I am now that I am a full time mom AND a full time teacher. I've told many people how badly I need just a few more hours in the day. (Which I immediately realize is really rather ridiculous because as it stands, the last few hours of my day are usually spent behind closed eyelids, on the couch, laptop on my lap, neck craned, mouth wide open, snoring anyway.) So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'll figure it out. I'll get my blog groove back. I will.

For you- The readers, the cheerleaders, the friends, the fellow bloggers, the coworkers, the family members, and the moms.

I will figure it out for YOU.

Unfortunately, it's already 11:34 pm so this post is going to be short and sweet.

It's a sneak peak.

A little sign of the metamorphosis happening in this house- The change from babies to toddlers to big kids.

Cuz friends, our beds are here. Beds with no rails. Beds that life size humans could sleep in. Beds that had the word 'teen' in the description but no mention of 'baby.' Sigh..

And so, their room needs to grow with them. Off the walls go the words 'baby boys' and 'little girl'. In come their new names. Out go the cribs and in come the beds. Out goes my sanity and in comes our newest challenge.

Wanna peek at what's in store for the Bunchkins' new room? Allow me.

A 16 x 20 framed poster of each kiddo will go above their beds. New letters for their names..

Their new bedspreads, their posters their names.. (I haven't cut Ethan's out yet)

The Boys' Bedding

Hunter's Bedding

These are the actual beds (minus the bedding)

An idea I pinned on Pinterest. Thinking I'll make each child a pillow for his/her bed.

So that's that. And don't you worry. I'm back. I have lots of photos I've taken and lots of fun stories to share. (Oh, and did I mention today's the first day of my 3 week fall break??) Cuz that kinda helps. :)

Miniature Masterminds

2011-09-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt as though you are being ganged up on? As though you are the only one who is not 'in' on the secrets and the plans? Welcome to parenting of toddler triplets. I have given up on the notion that my children are angelic and well behaved. This story is best begun with a phrase Brian and I often reserve for only the most interesting events...It goes like this.

"You see, what had happened was...."

Saturday night Brian had to work which left me home alone with the trio. Like all nights, I put them to bed at 8:30. Three piggy back rides, 3 'snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug's and about 30 kisses later, I turned on their soft music, turned off the lights and left their room. I cozied up on the couch with my glass of wine and watched 'Something Borrowed' on OnDem.and.

Note that I said I 'put them to bed' NOT 'put them to sleep' at 8:30. That was precisely because they rarely go right to bed. It is very normal for them to stay awake for another hour talking, laughing, jumping, etc. This is typically fine with us because once they're up, they're up. Unless there is throw-up or poop, they aint gettin' out and they know that. So what they do up there is fine by us. Eventually, they fall asleep. :)

On this particular night however, despite being totally engrossed in my movie, I noticed that they were particularly rambunctious and not showing signs of slowing down one bit. There was yelling, oh yes, but it was more the kind of yelling you do at a sporting event. You know, like when you're cheering on your team. Something in me said I should probably go check on them.

Making my way up the stairs, I noted that the yelling had turned to great laughter. (Which makes it much more difficult for me to do my 'stern mommy' act. I approached their door and gently pushed it open a few inches, scanning the 3 cribs for immediate signs of danger, entrapped body parts, etc.

What I found, was this.

In case you are not familiar with the layout of their room, let me enlighten you. Ethan's crib is on the left wall, Hunter's is in the middle and Colton's is on the right. So now, if you would be so kind as to look at that photo again, you will notice that Ethan is IN Hunter's crib, and is looking pleased as punch with himself. As soon as I opened that door and noticed 2 shadows in one crib, I immediately had to turn my back and look out into the hallway in hopes that they would not see my uncontrolled laughter. At some point, I walked back down to get my cellphone so I could quickly snap a picture (did you expect anything less?) and then I went in, and despite my better judgement laughed WITH them. They knew good and well that they had done something wrong AND that it was pretty damn funny.

I placed the escapee back into his own baby jail and did the best scolding-through-laughter I could muster. The rest of the night was uneventful. I finished my movie and went to bed at about midnight when Brian got home.

Now, our bedroom door is just a few feet from theirs which makes listening to their conversations pretty easy. The next morning they started to wake up at about 8:00. Like most mornings, we allow them the fun of waking up together and having some time to 'chat' amongst themselves before we go and get them. These moments have gotten funnier and funnier as their language has improved.

So this particular morning, Brian and I are noticing that Hunter is particularly vocal, uttering phrases like, "C'mon Ethan. You can do it." and "Coton, you come in my bed? You come in my bed too?" and "Good job." We immediately realize that they are reenacting the Great Escape from the night before. After listening for about 20 minutes I decide to go in and bust them. What I find, is this.

Again, let me help you with your orientation here. That is Colton's crib on the right, and Hunter's in the middle. Ethan's is not shown in this photo. That is THREE CHILDREN IN ONE CRIB. That means Ethan (aka Houdini) scaled not one, but TWO cribs to get over there. He does this by either pulling himself over the railing on his belly, or by swinging a leg over and straddling two cribs at once. I now realize that Hunter's questioning of "Colton, you come in my bed too?" was simply another case of her misusing her pronouns, much the same way that she says, "Momma, I help you?" when she means, "Momma, can you help me?"

I believe my words when I swung that door open went something like, "ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!$"

Anyhoo, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, well, shame on me. Fool me 3 times? Don't even think about it. Before bed that night, Brian and I wised up and turned Hunter's crib so that all three were now parallel with one another, increasing the space between their cribs just enough that no one is able to crib-hop any more.

When I say that they were mad, understand that what I mean is, they were FURIOUS. Hunter pleaded, "I seep in Coton's bed' no less than 26 times and was more and more mad each time I refused her pleas.

As usual, they eventually fell asleep. The next morning, this is what I found.

A freakin revolt. The prisoners tossed every pillow, blanket, stuffed animal, toy car, you name it out of their cribs and onto the floor. "Pretty sure they were saying, "FINE! Take that!"

Are you kidding me, people?

Rest assured, their twin beds are on order and will be arriving in approximately one week. Good times ahead.

On a much more innocent note, I am an AUNTIE! My sweet niece Brinley was born on August 26 at 5:02 pm. She was 8 lbs 4 oz and 19 inches long. She is about as sweet a baby as they come. I simply adore her.

I got to be in the O.R. with my sister for her C-Section and let me tell you what a moment that was. For one thing, it was a surreal flashback to my own children's birth, minus about 24 people in the room and two, to see another human being be pulled into this world is about the coolest thing ever. Both Mary and I were overcome with happy tears as I proclaimed how absolutely perfect she is. And yes, I will forever remember that I got to hold her first. :) What a proud moment...I have a niece.

No doubt she will be a very common thread in this blog from this day forth. Welcome to the world Brinley!

(And a belated 'Welcome to the world to the DeBauche Triplets, Sophia, Madelyn and Isabelle! We've all been waiting for you and are pulling for speedy trips out of the NICU!)

Happy Birthday "Hopper, Paper, Pippee"

2011-08-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

Today is our first born child's birthday!

(Did I tell you we have a 7 year old?) She's furry and lovable, and happens to walk on all fours! We got her shortly after we got married in June of '04. Brian was a motorcycle officer in Phoenix at the time. He happened to be out cleaning his motorcycle in the garage when some nice ladies walking through the neighborhood stopped to chat. About some puppies. Cute ones.

As I finished making my shepherd's pie, I heard the garage door open and Brian's voice call to me,

"Honey? Do we want a puppy?"

"Come again? What?"

The next thing I know we are standing in the kitchen of this nice girl's home staring at some 8 labrador puppies, just a few weeks old. And there, fighting for some space and some time at the food bowl, wearing a teeny, tiny green collar was our little girl. A little black lab- the runt. Once we saw her, we were smitten. We named her Piper, but for some reason, we called her "Ooodie" and often "ooodie, oodie, oodie." (We like to do things in threes, apparently).

As soon as she was weaned, she was ours. And we adored her. (Except for much of her puppyhood when I thought she was trying to make me crazy with her puppy behavior and constant nibbling of arms, fingers, etc.) The whole 'sock chasing' thing...yeah, I pretty much wanted to strangle myself. Little did I know then I was totally egging her on and even encouraging her to chase! (Hey, this was my first dog for whom I was the responsible parent. How was I to know??)

She was kennel trained almost immediately and was, by all accounts, a very good puppy. However, she did leave about 200 muddy pawprints all over our carpet one rainy day, chewed the kitchen cabinets and ate glass. Yes, glass. (She was fine. I was freaking out.) But boy was she loyal. And she still is.

When we lost our Harley cat to coyotes years ago, but found her and brought her home to bury, Piper just sniffed her and licked her. She was so clearly distraught by the loss of 'her' sister. I've seen few things as heartbreaking as the moment Brian first carried Harley in and Piper realized something was wrong. She knew. Those two were such a good duo.

None of us could've predicted that 7 years later, we'd have 3 troglodites running around here, all the same age and size. She has been the most patient dog you could imagine, and is just now starting to stand her ground with the eye poking and the "dog"back riding. Can't say that I blame her.

So Piper, or

Hopper (says' Colton), or

Pippee (says Ethan), or

Paper (says Hunter),

We love you and are so grateful that we picked you 7 years ago. We were meant to be a family and we have lots of great memories to make in the years to come. Happy Birthday!

Piper and her babies

Brian and Piper, camping.

Pretty shiny girl...so little

Piper, as a very new puppy and Aunt Kristen

Happy Birthday Piper Girl!

Well that could've been embarrassing.

2011-08-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

Remorse and sorrow. Do they exist within little minds? I'm inclined to think they do, which frankly sort of amazes me.

In a fit of rage tonight (well, he took her car, what was she supposed to do?) my little girl reached out with raging claws and scratched my leg (in her mind, it was her brother, who was seeking refuge on my lap.)

I said softly and sadly, "Hunter, why did you scratch mommy?" Well stop everything. That face so filled with rage turned so sorrowful and so remorseful as she pleaded with me to get the superman ice pack from the freezer.

On the couch, my little bitty nurse tended to my wounds. She lovingly patted my shin where she had scratched me while sweetly uttering the words, "Oh mommy. Owie. Oh mommy, I so sorry mommy. I hurt you mommy. I so sorry."

I of course assured her that I was going to live, and yet she continued to check back on my owie for the next half hour or so.

She's a worrier, that Hunter. And I adore that she can sense other people's hurt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Colton has become increasingly attached to his mini Lightning McQueen car. He holds it in his grubby hands all day long. He takes it to bed with him, and late at night when I go to bed and do my last check of my sweet, sleeping babies, I pry the sweaty car from his still tightly clenched fist. I love how their interests change.

He spent the day playing with his brother and sister (and his grammy) and apparently spouted off the phrase "Knock it off" so many times everyone lost count. ( I'll tell you right now, THAT is a daddy phrase.) Yes, we are in the age of repeating everything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ethan has found his words AND his confidence. This kid is blossoming into a full blown talker. Now that he's found his voice, he's so much less afraid to use it. I'm so proud of him. He is reading letters and numbers like a champ these days-on books, on TV, in the newspaper, etc. And when he wants to be, he is a very good sharer.

Today, my mom filmed Ethan and Hunter sitting on the couch with a chalkboard between them. They were taking turns drawing and then erasing the chalkboard with a wet rag. Then they'd pass the chalk to the other person. Furthermore, when asked to draw an oval or a circle (er-excuse me, "a seeckle") he drew a near perfect 2 year old oval. It was pretty incredible...

And what a sweet smile he had while watching old home videos of themselves as babies wearing newly fitted helmets. That is a great feeling as a parent. And I was reminded once again....my kids were happy. And still are.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Now let's get to the embarrassing part. Not sure I how I didn't feel a draft on my own, but as I prepared to walk out of my house for work this morning, I was kindly asked by Mary, "You know those have a huge hole in them right?" Uh yes...Sure, I did....er, now I do. Wow. Can you just hear what 40 5 year olds might've said? Awesome.

(Seriously could not get it to rotate. Weird. It's fighting with me tonight. Anyhoo, you get the idea, I'm sure.) Enjoy the weekend everyone!

WARNING: Boring post ahead

2011-08-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

I thought about just not posting anything tonight, but I didn't want you all to think I forgot. I didn't forget. I just can't think of anything to say. I was going to post some great photos of the kids on the Slip and Slide, but I've apparently met my blog photo quota! I can't post another photo until I purchase more picture storage space! (Good to know, right?)

So I suppose I'll go waste another few hours of my life on Pinterest or happyplace.com (Thank you, Dave Conca!)

And that's all. By the way, I didn't actually sign up for the Blog-a-day this month, I was just doing it of my own accord. Otherwise, I would never post something so awful and lame. In fact, as much as I'm gonna try, I'm not even sure I can promise that I'll even finish out the month. I'm sorry. But really, let's be honest. I've forced you to sit and read this nonsense when you could be doing something WAY more important....like pin photos to your boards or look at hilarious signs on happyplace.com.

So go, treat yourself to one of those fun things....you'll feel better about my blog tonight. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow, maybe in 2 days. We'll see! :)