Two Stooges

Ben and Jon were playing a silly little game today. They would puff out their cheeks and the other would make his brother make a funny noise. After about five minutes of the goofiness, the laughter was contagious and I had to share it. Before I started the recording Ben had been smacked quite a bit, too, even though Jon gets the sore end in the show.

A Little Piscator

The kids and I headed to my parents' for a few days. On the way I was entertained by Christmas carols being belted out the radio by Burl Ives, Andy Williams, and other classics. I was also humored by even more of the kids' interpretations of what I always considered normal carols. Maddie can sure sing, and among her holiday favorites is "We wlish you a Merly Chrlistmas! We wlish you a Merly Chrlistmas! We WLISH you a Merly Chrlistmas and a happy newwwwwwwwwwwwww YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!" She has a way of rolling her Rs and Ws and other random letters that just makes everything sound a bit charming. Ben's current song is "Bingle Jells! Bingle Jells! Bingle ahh de'wayyy!" and I still can't hear Good King Wencelas without laughing about Jon's interpretation (see blog entry from a few days ago). Will is just impressing me with the fact that he can remember so many different lyrics since it doesn't seem like it was that long ago that he was just trying to hum to the tunes.

Today the weather was warm enough to play outside, and this afternoon, I peeked out the window and saw my dad teaching Jon to fish. It turns out my youngest child is quite the angler. Here is a video of Jon, age 3, catching a fish with a bit of guidance from Granddad.

Jon was very focused on the process and not afraid to touch the fish. Once he figured it out he just kept them coming. He caught total of eight sunfish and, as you can see, was quite proud of himself.The other kids wanted to try after they saw how easy Jon made it look. Ben was not interested in standing still and waiting for the nibbles, so it didn't bother him that he didn't catch any. Will caught two, and Maddie almost caught two. The second fish that Maddie pulled out of the water splashed and startled her. She responded by throwing the pole at the fish and running away squealing like, well... a girl. Gramma extracted the pole from the lake with the fish still attached, but Maddie was not at all interested in having her picture taken anywhere near the fish. Before that incident, Dad spent plenty of time informing the kids they shouldn't let the pole get in the water. After it was thrown in, Mom and I just couldn't quit laughing. I think Dad forgave his sweet granddaughter, but it may be awhile till she gets another chance to fish with his good pole. On the other hand, she told us fish were "yucky and wet" so she may not care to go near one with a five foot pole anyway.

I promise

I promise we are all okay . . . for the most part. I know it's been awhile since I posted a story, but we've just been busy. What have we been up to the last two weeks? I can barely remember. . .

On the nights when the weather has been nice and the kids need to burn off some extra energy, we've gone for walks around the neighborhood. It's been an interesting transition for me -- last summer, we pulled the little ones in the wagon and didn't let go of Will's hand when we were near the street. Now, the toddlers toddle along with their small fingers in mine or Allen's hands, but they skip back and forth between the two of us, never deciding where they want to be. Will walks ahead of us or behind us, stopping to look at everything, but rarely being close enough to consider holding hands. When we go through the greenbelt away from the street, we let all the kids run while Allen and I stroll hand in hand discussing the today's events, tomorrow's dreams, and how different it was just not too long ago. I've enjoyed our evening strolls, but we had several cold rainy days that meant we were inside more than we wanted to be. We've all been to the dentist. Allen, Will, and I had our teeth cleaned. But Ben, Maddie, and Jon were just introduced to the process and the tools. After watching Will as his teeth were being cleaned, they each got to sit in the "Wheee! chair", meet "Mr. Thirsty" and the water hose. They also got to feel the different tools and have their teeth counted. Ben and Jon did quite well -- paying attention and participating. Maddie gripped me and buried her nose in my neck and refuse to even look up at the hygenist. Oh well. They have six months to go until they get to sit in the chair for real. Unfortunately, I had to go back for more work -- no wonder I hate going to the dentist.

The Wednesday that Will and I had our date, he got to pick out a scrapbook for all the pages he has been creating. We went back to the house for a bit and created, then I took him to Allen's office for my follow-up dental appointment. When I was gathering books and activities for Will to take, he asked me why. I said, "You are going to go to Daddy's office and sit next to him and work while he works." I sort of expected Will to be a tad bit upset about it, but he surprised me with a whoop and a jump. "Yay! Oh Yeah! I get to work with Daddy?" When I answered in the affirmative, he responded enthusiastically. "YES! I finally get to work with Daddy. Now I get to make some real money!!" I scurried to the phone to share this bit of news with Allen so he could . . .ahem . . . be prepared.

I also had a date with Maddie in there somewhere. Will's class went on a field trip to a local wildlife museum and he wanted me to go. Therefore, Maddie's day with me was shared with Will. The three of us ran a few errands on the way to museum, and like always, Maddie stopped to smell the flowers. It doesn't matter whether it is at the craft store, a garden, or the home improvement shop -- she finds them, and she is determined to smell them. Will and Maddie and I enjoyed that day out.

Sometime in all the jumble of the last week and a half, Allen and I picked out, ordered, and received our birthday gifts -- we chose a Nikon D60 and some lenses. The camera arrived a week ago, and I opened the box, charged the battery, and started reading the manual. That's as far as I got, though. I cracked up at the warning not to poke yourself in the eye with your finger. Beyond that, the packaging is too intimidating, and until I have a chunk of uninterrupted time, it may sit. . . . maybe today?

We've also had beautiful weather lately and that's gotten my green thumbs itching for plants. Last weekend we played inside on Saturday and were outside all day Sunday.

Allen was cleaning up and mowing the yard, I washed some windows, the kids filled the buckets and shoes with sand. We enjoyed being outside, and that made me want to spiffy up our outdoors even more. This past weekend, we were inside while it rained Saturday, then Sunday we had pretty weather again. The kids played outside until I was set up to get them to plant seeds. They "helped" me start some seeds in a mini-greenhouse; we planted marigolds, morning glories, tomatoes, onions, chives, dill, basil, coriander/cilantro, oregano, and parsley. We labeled everything we planted, but since I had help, it should be entertaining to see what really comes up. Allen rented a sod cutter and started getting the grass up out of the area where we are planning to have a garden. As he was moving the grass, though, he somehow threw his back out.
So that brings us to today. My To-Do list is long, and we all know that's when I tend to blog. This week will be another busy one. I need to finish up our tax returns, prepare for the MOPS craft, finish some class layouts, take Ben to the doctor for his two-year check-up (yes, I know I'm a bit late on that), take pictures and fill out the paperwork to have our passports renewed, and all the regular day-to-day stuff. I hope to get outside and pick up some more of the sod that Allen cut before it all re-roots, and then we'll move on to the tilling stage. Yesterday, was rough -- Allen's back went out, I was tired, and the kids were poopy. Yesterday, I changed 20 diapers and 18 were poopy -- yes, I counted. Luckily, Jon did great with the potty and that meant one less for me to deal with. Last night Ben was up coughing a lot, this morning, he and Will have gross coughs and are pretty groggy. Maddie and Jon have been snotty, and I am hoping the sickness stops soon. The prayers here are that Allen's back heals soon, the kids get healthy, and I stay calm and patient.

Jingle Bell Rock

Club Initiation

Maddie has finally joined and is a card-holding member of the Li'l Stinkers Club. She was initiated today at naptime.

Requirements:

1. Must be able to operate snaps, zippers, and velco to undress completely.

2. Must have diaper duck-taped all the way around or he/she takes the diaper off and makes as big of a mess as possible.

3. Must be able to manipulate taped diaper to maximize mess.

4. Must be able to open door knobs, especially the ones parents want them to avoid.

5. Must be able to climb out of bed quickly and quietly.

6. Must be able to assist other club members meet aforementioned requirements.

There are twice as many requirements as there are members right now. Membership has its privileges, particularly that members together create chaos in such a way that parents do not know who did what. The challenge is that parents often discipline ALL members.

Dreams come true

Here's what we did on our vacation. Ben, Maddie, and Jon stayed with my parents. Will and I flew to meet Allen in Orlando then spent the rest of the week at Disney World.

Day 1 - I woke Will up at 3:45 am and said we were going on an adventure. "We can't go, Mama. It is still nighttime." "Why is the airport only open at night? Do you think we'll see any planes?" "Maybe I can get on an airplane." I didn't tell him where were going, but I did say we'd eat breakfast when we got to the next airport. On the tram in Dallas, some older ladies asked Will where he was going, and he was so excited to tell them, "We are going to McDonald's! and then to the inside playground!" When we landed in Orlando, Will leaned over to me and sternly said, "Mama. I don't like your adventure anymore. I want to go to Disneyland like the people behind us." I told him I would think about it, realizing at that point the people around us were sort of ruining the surprise. Will and I grabbed a bite to eat after we got off the plane and eventually he looked up at the man who was standing near us as we ate. He was definitely surprised to see Daddy there. As we all crossed the airport, Will noticed the Disney store and was thrilled to finally get to see Disneyland (thinking the store was actually the park.) We told him we'd go to the store before we flew home and he was happy with that answer. When we boarded the shuttle to Disney, Will still didn't know where were going (even if he did wonder). The "Welcome to Disney World!" movie on the bus wasn't even enough for him to understand. When Allen leaned over and asked if that's where Will wanted to go, Will said "Can we?" I told him we could if he promised to be happy about it. A while later, Will told Allen, "My brain is cracking! I just can't believe it!" When Allen told me that, my eyes started misting (of course. . .)

That afternoon we napped for awhile then went to Magic Kingdom. We walked right on to "It's a Small World" which was nice, except that the next two lines we were in frustrated Will since we didn't have to wait on the first one. We also rode Peter Pan and Dumbo then got soaked trying to make it to the entrance during the parade and rain storm. We went to Chef Mickey's for dinner and were there until it closed. I am glad Will got to see characters on the first day, but we were still at the restaurant at 10pm. Here is the interview with Will at the end of Day 1.

Day 2 was in Magic Kingdom again. We were there when the park opened at 8am since we had reservations to eat breakfast with Pooh and friends. (Note to self: next time make reservations for meals with ample time in between for sleeping.) We introduced Will to the world of roller coasters with a light version. As soon as we got off that one, he said he wanted to go on a bigger one, so we hit Big Thunder Mountain. He loved it! We stopped many times for photos, but also spent a lot of time in lines. We sat down for a break and watched Captain Jack Sparrow and another pirate teach us how to sword fight like a pirate. Will was one of the kids chosen to go up and be a deputized pirate and he was proud to get the certificate saying as much. Although Will got to meet a lot of characters today, I think his favorites were the princess because he was covered in kisses and had the lip prints on his cheeks to prove it. Many Disney commercials claim that it is the place "where all your dreams come true" (insert Pinocchio theme music here.) When Will and Allen got off the race-car ride, he told Allen, "All my dreams really did come true!" Here is the end-of-the-day interview.

Day 3 we spent at Epcot. We had lunch reservations at the Coral Reef which was gorgeous and calming (mostly). The restaurant wall is a huge aquarium and we watched the fish, sea turtles, sharks, and even a couple of divers swimming. Will was in his own fantasy land pretending that the conch-shaped light next to our table was a microphone. We hadn't planned on spending the whole day there, but between meals, the lines and fast passes, we were there all day just to get to ride the rides we wanted. My favorite was the Test Track, but we also enjoyed Soarin'. On the Viking ride, Will grabbed my hand and said "Mama, hold my hand tight. You seem to be very afraid, but it's okay, it's just pretend." We were fascinated by the children acrobats from China, and Will got to get his picture with Alice (from Wonderland) and Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Genie. Since we rarely have photos with all of us, we anxiously waited for the professional photographers to get us on film. One enthusiastic cast member took us on a tour of the Japan-area and had us pose for several shots. Later, when we were waiting in lines, Will would pose Allen and me so he could [pretend to] take our pictures. After giggling about his posing us, we handed over the camera and let him take some shots. I think the quote from that day was "Hey! I'm not done yet!" as Will yelled at the toilet that decided to flush a little early. Here is the video of Day 3.

By Day 4, we were all worn out. Seriously, how do people spend 10 days at these parks? We went to Disney's Hollywood Studios for the first part of the day, then took at ferry to Magic Kingdom for shopping, the parade, and fireworks. At Will's insistance, we rode the Tower of Terror. When he told me he wanted to ride it, I told him it was pretty scary. "Mama. Don't worry. It is all just pretend, and if I can be brave, so can you. You can hold my hand if you need to." By the end of that ride, I had marks on my hands where he had squeezed all the feeling from my fingers. He said it was fun, but he was certain he didn't want to do it again. We also happened to catch the Block part parade with the PIXAR characters. Will even got to dance on the street with Little Bo Peep from ToyStory. We rode more that day, but by then I was too tired to remember what we had done. We shopped for a few souviniers and Will designed his own Micky Ears. The parade at Magic Kingdom was beautiful and we ended our trip with the fireworks.

Day 5 was spent traveling home. We flew from Orlando to Dallas then to Waco to get the little ones. I was thrilled that my parents had brought them to greet us at the airport, and the babies were happy to see us, too. It was a joyful reunion with lots of hugs and smiles. Then we drove home.

Now it is the day after. I am still exhausted, but there is so much that needs to be done. I have no food in the fridge, but I don't want to take four kids to the grocery store. I have lots of laundry to do, but the soap is one of the things on my grocery list. The house needs to be tidied for the triplets party this weekend, but there is so much to do I don't know where to start. So, rather than start anything, I blog and the kids nap.

Adventures from Yesterday

This is the way yesterday turned out . . .while I was blogging.

Jon, whose diaper has to now be taped on because he strips, got his diaper off. The tape sticks so well to iteself (rather than the diaper), that the tape stayed on as a belt when the diaper came off. I was very lucky that he only wanted to be naked; the sheets and blanket stayed dry. Any other ideas for how to keep my child clothed?
The grand finale was when Will started crying. I went to see what was wrong, and he had a ladybug purse over his head. If that wasn't enough fun in itself, it got better. The purse would not come off. I tried gently pulling on it, then we tried tugging it harder. When I lifted the purse, Will's whole body was lifted off the ground. At one time I asked him "Why?" and he said, "I just wanted a hat like a magician!"I know he was a little bit frightened that it may never come off, but I was more worried that I'd have to destroy the bag to remove it. After about an hour of struggling with it, I called Allen and asked for advice on what to do. He gave me a few suggestions and talked to Will on the phone to calm him down. I tried holding Will over the tub and filling the purse with warm water -- my goal was to stretch the canvas, while flattening Will's hair, but that didn't work either. After a while with no luck, I called Dad and asked if he had any ideas. Once he understood the situation, I had to listen to him laugh for a bit then he suggested soap. Allen got home and we tried the soap being careful not to get it in Will's eyes. Allen was finally able to get it off, Will was fine, but wound up. I know many of my readers are glad Will is okay but more concerned with how the purse fared in this fiasco; the good news is the purse survived without being cut, but it was quite soapy and wet. In my prayers last night I thanked God that there wasn't a red mark on his forehead from all the pulling. . . you see, today is school picture day, and usually picture days happen after these small disasters.



I am not taking any more questions along the lines of "Why do you want another vacation?"

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return. ~Mary Jean Iron

Home again, Home again

. . . jiggity jog.

Yes, we are home now. Allen and I flew into Dallas Wednesday night. He drove all the way to Houston for an early morning meeting and I somehow got to Waco. I have been slow updating the blog because I have a yucky cold -- the kind I get when I spend two days on airplane-air, a few days in a different environment, and many days having fun and not getting quite enough ZZZZs. Yesterday, Allen let me sleep ALL day, and I am feeling so much better for it. As the little ones like to say, Daddy gets "clop - clop - clop - clop - AAAAANEN!!!" (translate: clap, clap, clap, clap, AMEN!) Thanks, Babe, for taking care of everything!!

Our trip to New Hampshire and Maine was wonderful, even if it did seem weird without kids. We flew into Manchester and spent our first night with my dear friend, Kamal, and her husband Bill. Kamal went to high school with Allen and me, and it was our first time meeting her husband. We had a wonderful time catching up and reminiscing. They just moved into their beautiful home, and already they've unpacked more than we have and we've been here a year. Thank you both for a gracious New England welcome! (I would love to have a yard that pretty. . .)

The next day we hit the road for a scenic trip through the western part of Maine to a little town called Fryeburg where we checked into the Admiral Peary House B&B and parked our bags for the rest of our vacation. Rather than post every picture I loved, I'll just post a slide show. I know they all start to look the same after awhile anyway. The weather in Maine and New Hampshire was beautiful. We slept with the windows open at night, and during the day, I think the highest the temperature got was 82F.

Here is a quick summary of events. The details might be of interest if you are actually heading that direction, but otherwise, it will bore you. If you need or want the actual locations, email me & I can expand. We spent almost a whole day just driving to Fryeburg because I wanted to take a scenic route, but it was enjoyable. We ate at a tasty Thai restaurant and then tried to go to sleep early. At 3:00 am (yes, 2 am our time) the alarms rang and we joyfully jumped out of bed, dressed quickly and were on the road before 3:30. (The insanity -- that we would do this willingly?) Our goal was to make it to the top of Mt. Washington before the sun broke over the east coast. On the way, I saw a moose walking down the highway, but Allen was very focused on the road -- driving an unknown, windy road in the dark. Thankfully, the drive up the mountain was also dark, or I may have looked over the edge of the cliffs and made him turn back. (Think, windy, narrow road, steep cliffs, loose rocks, no guard-rails, more than 6000 feet up -- eeek.) We did make it to the top, but the top was in the clouds, so we didn't see the sunrise. Just a few hundred feet down, we got some beautiful pictures, though.

It was definitely an experience we will remember. We were prepared for the cold, but not so prepared to handle the wind. I think most of the wind was about 45 mph, but there were gusts as high as 62 mph that nearly blew me away -- at least that's what it felt like. I tried filming Allen leaning into the wind, but as I moved, a gust caught me. . . It was terribly foggy so we didn't really get any pictures of each other, just of the fog (imagine photo with white. . . not much else in focus.) I am posting this video because we laugh so hard every time we watch it. It is hard to see exactly how windy it is, but Allen's pants and jacket are flapping madly. If you have the sound on, you will hear what we heard: nothing but the wind. We could barely hear each other. I came home with cheeks pinked, not by the sun like on most of our vacations, but by the wind on the mountain burned my cheeks rosy.

We got back to the inn in time (by 9 am) for a tasty breakfast of muffins, banana-coconut pancakes, and fresh berries with berry-thyme sorbet and a welcomed hot, delicious cup of coffee, then we went back to bed for a bit. We woke up around noon and went out for a self-tour of the White Mountain National Forest and surrounding villages, focusing on finding country churches, covered-bridges, and letterboxes. That evening, we ate at a dinner and listened to the Waybacks perform at the Stone Mountain Arts Center. Okay, I am getting into the details I didn't mean to . . .oh well. I had a dinner salad that was awesome and I can't wait to try some of it at home -- yeah, it had the lettuce and tomatoes like usual, but there were dried cranberries, cherries, and blueberries, candied walnuts, and blue cheese crumbles, topped with a maple-mustard vinaigrette. Now my mouth is watering again. You know what the best part about the day was? That we made it turn into two days -- at least it seemed so: Day 1 at the mountain, Day 2 touring the area and listening to music.

The next real day was Monday and it was the only day we didn't have firm plans. We had another great breakfast and let the wind direct us. We did a lot of driving, taking pictures, hiking, and finding more letterboxes. We have decided this is an addictive hobby and definitely something the family can enjoy together. In case you didn't click on the link above, according to letterboxing.org,

• letterboxing is an intriguing mix of treasure hunting, art, navigation, and exploring interesting, scenic, and sometimes remote places. Here's the basic idea: Someone hides a waterproof box somewhere (in a beautiful, interesting, or remote location) containing a logbook and a carved rubber stamp. The hider writes directions to the box (called "clues" or "the map"), which can be straightforward, cryptic, or any degree in between. Often the clues involve map coordinates or compass bearings from landmarks, but they don't have to. Selecting a location and writing the clues is one aspect of the art. Once the clues are written, hunters in possession of the clues attempt to find the box. When the hunter successfully deciphers the clue and finds the box, he stamps the logbook in the box with his personal stamp, and stamps his personal logbook with the box's stamp. The box's logbook keeps a record of all its visitors, and the hunters keep a record of all the boxes they have found, in their personal logbooks.

At the end of the day, we were worn out, but excited at all that this small area (geographically) has to offer.

Tuesday we took a five-hour round-trip on the Conway Scenic Railroad up to Crawford Notch. The scenery was spectacular, as promised, and we were lucky enough to arrive at a perfect time: the leaves were just starting to paint the mountains with reds and oranges, but the valleys still were speckled with wildflowers. It was amazingly stunning and it was obvious God was the painter of these magnificent landscapes. We finished the day with more of the same -- enjoying the vistas and finding beauty all around us.

I found it fascinating how much older things are up here than what I've seen in Kansas and Texas. The "recent" buildings are sometimes early 1900s, even though there are some late 1900-built ones, too. Many of the older churches and town halls have notes over the doors (ie, Est. 1836). In a moment of mindlessness, I was in awe to see a wooden house marked 1550, an another next to it from 1548. It was so hard to believe that that particular house was actually nearly 500 years old, but here in New England it isn't uncommon. My sense caught up with me when I noticed the third house, seemingly built around the same time, said 1546 on it. My awe flew away and was replaced by a slap to the forehead when I realized those numbers were the addresses and not the ages.

Wednesday was bittersweet -- there was still so much we wanted to do and see, but we were ready to hold our children again, too. We boarded the plane and said good-bye to the pristine streams and rivers, the crisp mountain air, the fresh scent of New England flora, and the heavy cloud of mosquitoes that followed the scent of "Texan" blood.

It is good to be home and back to normal. It seems that the cusp of autumn has followed us back -- at home, the air is a tad bit cooler, the shadows are longer, and we can open the windows in the morning and evening. Now I just need to finish up a little laundry and make out another grocery list, and we will be good to go.

PS - Check back later this week for the slideshow of photos we took. Allen used his film camera, so we are waiting to get those back from the developer. I may also post more info about our letterboxing.

Crib Notes Part 2

You didn't think all the fun ended at breakfast, did you? This is Ben climbing out of a different crib. Tent goes on tonight, but I hate to stifle his Olympic potential.

Finally

less than 2 seconds for me to hit "record" and leave the room
40 seconds for Ben to climb out
under 2 minutes to empty their closet

I finally found a way to post it -- Grandmothers, prepare your homes. . .

Real Life

Playing with the curtains in the dining room -- a favorite afternoon pasttime while watching out the windows for Daddy to come home.

100th Post!

Wow, I have actually kept it up! When I started this blog late last December, I wasn't sure if it would be something that turned boring. Nope, I can definitely say it is now part of my routine, and when I am away from the computer, I go find paper and pen to write the things I want to blog. It is also exciting to me that the 100th blog post and 3000th visitor happened at the same time, so thanks to all of you readers for making that number jump. It is always fun to see who is reading. Since I was never very convincing about getting readers to leave comments, I put on a live feed. Now I can see people from many states read about my crazy life, and Allen pointed out that now my stories are read internationally too. I don't know how many people find The Update, but when I do find out, it always fascinates me -- sort of like the 6-degrees of separation game.

Yesterday was my blah day. I was tired and cranky all day, and I was guilt-ridden for desparately wanting to escape the whiney kids. We did break out of the house for a few minutes to run to Best Buy for a new DVD player and some computer cables. It was great to get out. I have a had a flat tire on the van for over a week, and I have stayed home for about 2 weeks straight. It has been too hot to play outside, and the cabin fever finally caught up to me.

This morning I dragged my butt out of bed, and plodded up to get the babies. I passed Will on the way up, looking about like he does every morning when I get up: laying on the couch, not quite awake, watching the Magic School Bus on TV. I snapped a picture of that, and then headed up to greet the little ones. I meant to take a photo, too, but in my pre-coffee state of mind, I forgot. Here is a triple good morning for you. (If you listen VERY carefully, you might here Maddie saying "oo-ssah?" as she points to the camara. That is her say of saying "What's that?")

ETA: No children were harmed during the making of this film. Jon head-butted (aka: kissed) the mic on the camera, and I didn't realize how bad it sounded until I saw the video.

The Last Day of Camp Grandparents

Today is Saturday. Last night, when I talked to Allen he told me I needed to catch up on blogging so he could see the kids and hear about what they are doing. I just finished posting an entry for yesterday, but today, I got a video of Jon's newest trick. In the week we've been here he has turned into a walker -- now he walks more than he crawls, and through the week he has grown more confident in his steps. He is still very focused, but he is more comfortable, too.

I filmed him walking across the kitchen. In typical fashion, he joined the trouble on the other side of the room. Ben had taken all the cookbooks off the shelf while Mom and I were distracted by Jon. After Ben got a good sized pile, he used them as a stool to climb up to reach more. Maddie is right next to him (usually joining the mischief, but sitting back when adults show up so it looks like Ben is the sole trouble-maker.) Jon joins the crew and throws in a few finger-shaking "No-no"s just for the show. I wanted to show Allen what they were up to.

Mom and I just returned from the mall with all the kids. The babies were doing fine most of the time, but I had forgotten to pack cups and they all got thirsty after bribing them with animal crackers to let us shop a little more. Will was cranky and pulled on us or tried to run off. At one point, I threatened to take him to a restroom for a spanking if he didn't act right. He threatened me back with a sassy, "If you do, I'll just lick the toilet seat." I had to walk away to chuckle and gag while I tried to understand why he thought that would teach me a lesson. We got frustrated, got the kids water, and packed them in the car for the trip home. Most of them fell asleep on the way.

The evening went a bit smoother. After naps, we all went out to eat and ended the day cleaning watermelon off the kids' chins by taking them back to the sprinkler park. Now all the kids are snoozing and I am about to go pack up for the trip home in the morning. They can't wait to see Daddy, and I really miss my Honey.

Mudpies and Lullabies

Day 2 at Granddad's and Gramma's started with Granddad getting the kiddos up and fed while I took my time waking up (yes, again -- that's why I love my parents.) When I came down and asked him how things went, he chuckled and said Maddie made a big mess that I needed to clean up. I was a little confused but went in the babies room and saw the disaster. Maddie's pack-n-play and the floor was covered with clothes: 4 onesies, 2 pairs of shorts, 11 socks, 4 shoes, 4 bell-ties for the shoes, a bag, 3 shirts, and a skirt. Dad came and asked how it happened; the suitcase had apparently been dumped, but her bed was the farthest from it. When I put the kids to bed last night I made sure no one was near the suitcase, but I was fooled.

Jon rocks to put himself to sleep, and he rocks while he sleeps. He evidently rocks enough to move a pack-n-play several feet across a slick wooden floor. Jon pulled everything out of the suitcase and threw it in Maddie's bed. Yup -- that's my Jon, causing trouble but making it look like someone else did it. There was a sock in Ben's bed that Maddie must have handed him. I told Jon to clean up the mess, and he picked up everything he could reach, puttin all the clothes in a small trash can, stopping after each piece, clapping and saying "Yay! Yay!"

Later, Granddad and Will went and worked on yard tasks while I read a book and the little ones napped. Gramma came home just as we were making lunch and got lots of hugs to greet her.

Granddad made a big puddle of mud with the excuse that he was transplanting grass. I have my doubts that it was the real reason, but I am sure the grass will grow, nonetheless. Will got in and sloshed around, and then Maddie dove in and squirmed a lot. Ben splashed in the watery parts, but Jon got his feet in the mud and decided to sit back and watch. Maddie got pretty upset all of a sudden -- whether it was the mud in her mouth or a bug bite we still don't know. Dad and I took Ben and Maddie to wash them off in the lake and Mom said Jon started having fun in the mud when Will joined us at the lake.


We got all the little kids rinsed, dried, and dressed and then Granddad went swimming with Will while Mom and I went inside with the babies. Maddie, Ben and Jon got so excited when Gramma brought them a "big-person" cup of water with straws. It was adorable watching all of them drink at the same time -- yes, from the same cup. Maddie had to try all the straws to make sure they all tasted the same.
Then another round of naps. Dad and I took Ben and Jon swimming while Maddie and Will finished their siestas. It took a little coaxing, but Ben and Jon finally relaxed and enjoyed themselves in the water. The lake water is about 90 degrees and fairly comfortable, but they weren't so sure about not having a floor beneath their feet. When we handed them rocks to drop in the water they were happy. They had fun trading the rocks saying "pees" and "tant-oo" to each other each time (for the thoroughly confused reader: "please" and "thank you".) The dogs next door started yapping and both of the boys got really excited and barked back. When we took the little boys in, Will was ready to come swim, too. By the end of the day, everyone was worn out and ready for rest. The kids all grabbed books while Mom, Dad, and I read to them. Maddie got frustrated and wanted to read by herself, as this is her new hobby. As I filmed her "reading" the story all the boys were chattering to themselves. Ben fell off the stool next to me and I prepared for him to yell, but he sat up and said "Uh-ooo." If you listen as the camera moves, you'll hear him say it several times. Just like his sister, Ben gets pretty clumsy when he gets sleepy.

I am ready for bed, but I know Allen will want to see pictures of the kids when he reads this in the morning. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Will has already put in a request for more mud and making a cake: "My cake is very tasty, Mama. First we cut a really big onion into a LOT of little bitty pieces, then you chop up the banana and get all the juice out. Then you crack the eggs -- 3 eggs -- into a bowl and mix it a lot. You stir everything and add two raisins and stir for an hour. Then it only takes two hours in the microwave until you cool it on the table. It will be SO TASTY. I can't wait!"

I kissed him goodnight, hugged him tight, and told him Gramma didn't have any raisins. . .

Reason # 813

I know I haven't blogged in awhile. . . In case I forgot, my mom and mother-in-law both called to tell me I wasn't keeping up with demand.

Truth be told, its been a lot of the same old thing. The days start out with kids screaming at me because they are hungry and poopy, I feed them, clean the kitchen, start the laundry, change more diapers, then put the babies down for a morning. Will wants to play outside or make a mess inside that he will try to clean up, but I will still need to finish the job. Then its time for the diaper-lunch-clean up routine. All the babies seem to want 100% of my attention and often there is whining and crying when there are two kids in my lap and the third can't get comfortable, or I have to put someone down to keep another off a table. Ben is getting his molars in and is particularly temperamental -- lots of tantrums and biting (furniture & siblings). I get cranky too soon, and when they are all four asleep I finally have a minute (sometimes 2 minutes) to myself and I'm not in the mood to finish the laundry, I just need a break. So the laundry pile is clean -- when we get dressed, we climb the mountain of shirts or forge the sock river. I wouldn't even bother dressing the little ones since it is pretty hot, but they all like taking the velcro tabs off and dropping the diapers or playing with poop. There is some relief when Allen gets home. Many times, it’s just that I really needed a hug from someone who loves these stinkers as much as I do. Allen has been working longer hours and he will be for a few weeks. Just KNOWING that wears me out. That means I’ll have to keep my cool even more.

On a positive note, we have spent several evenings in the little splash pool. I can lay back in the cool water, with a warm breezy rustling my hair, and birds chirping while the leaves rustle, and I can almost imagine I’m at a beach. Then a cold wet toddler jumps in my lap, grabs my cheeks in his chubby little hands, and gives me a big humming kiss. I love that part! Then another little one pushes him over enough to climb on my lap and stare in my sunglasses at “ME-ME” and give MEME (aka: the reflection) wet kisses. I think that might be how Maddie says “Maddie,” but it is also “Me” to her, so who knows. She pokes at the pretty reflection and giggles constantly. Then the other wet toddler pushes the first two over just to get a hug. Then the big kid realizes all the fun must be on Mama so he does a cannon-ball splash just to get everyone to look at him. . .and then, and then, and then. Do you think a palm tree will make me feel like I’m at a beach?

So. . . rather than bore everyone daily or make everyone think I am constantly crabby, I just don't post anything. Lately I feel like I am running on empty, and I can’t seem to work in my fill-up. I really need a vacation. . .and I hate feeling like I need to get away from kids. Then the guilt starts . . . and I want the vacation NOW!

On an unrelated matter, Will has decided since he saw the last video that he wanted to be the star. I promised him I'd put his movie on the blog. He decided to act rather goofy, but any superhero in our house would have to be, right?

If you watched the previous video of the triplets on the couch, you heard Will say the same things. In fact, everytime he thinks I am filming he says "We are not going anywhere today!" I guess he thinks that's his movie line. . .

Some photos

Here is a picture of Will's new haircut. I love how this photo turned out, so you'll probably see it scrapbooked -- probably with the previous story of how his hair got short. Today Ben is in green, and Jon is in blue -- reverse from normal, I know, but it happened. Check out the size of those dolls they are holding. If you add an inch, that's how small these kids were a year & a half ago. Yes, my babies were as small as those dolls when they were born -- it brings tears to my eyes when I realize how far they've come.
The video is my experiment. I am trying to figure out how to put one on the blog. The triplets were playing on the couch and that is typical. They aren't suppose to be standing on it, but I was filming & didn't figure you'd want to hear me. It starts off with Jon saying, "Baby", but also doing monkey noises (he thinks the red bear is a monkey.) Maddie says "Baby" and then switches to "bye-bye" with a wave. After I ask Maddie if she is happy, she sings her version of "If you're happy and you know it," but she wasn't going to put the baby down to clap, because then one of her brothers would take it.