Fire Truck Birthday Party!

The triplets wanted a fire truck birthday and so we did the best we could to give them one! 

Everett was too excited to nap before the party so here he is practicing holding up three fingers, while we finished decorating.

When Finn and Carter got up from their nap, it was time to start the party! (although Carter looks like he's still waking up! :)

One of my favorite moments of the day was Carter's reaction when he opened up a big wheel bike. You can kind of see his face in the picture below. Colin has a big wheel and Carter drools over it, always asking for a turn with it. When he realized what he was opening he kept saying, "ME VERY OWN! ME VERY OWN!" He was one happy clam. Even Colin knows it's a big deal, just look at those hands on his head.

This year I decided to try and bake their birthday cakes myself because I assumed three fire engine cakes would be pricey. I am NOT a baker or artistic at all so this felt very daunting to me! Luckily I found a fire engine cake pan on Amazon and from there I just did the best I could. In hindsight I should have bought three cake pans. It would have saved some time! Just when I was feeling pretty bad about my ability and how the cakes were turning out, Colin walked in and said, "Mom that is the coolest cake ever!" which made me laugh and remember all that matters is what they think. They seemed to love the cakes and weren't complaining when they were chowing down on them!

Happy Birthday, Carter!

Carter, you are such a sweet boy. At three, you tell us "me shy" but what I want you to know is that you're also such a leader and I see how the others follow you. You have a quiet power to you and you use it thoughtfully. (and sometimes you are not so quiet! haha. In our home, "me shy" goes out the window!). 

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Happy Birthday, Everett!

Colin once said that your super power would be that you make friends easily. You do. Also, you are brave. You dare to be fully yourself and wear your heart on your sleeve.

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Happy Birthday, Finn!

Finny, you crack me up so hard with your antics. At three, you love to tell secrets, only you think that the protocol for telling a secret is to press your ear against my ear and then start talking. One day I'll teach you the correct way but not anytime soon because it makes me smile so hard every time you come over and tell me a secret.

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Everett wasted no time on the cake and dug right into the wheel!

Finley and Carter opted for pieces of the ladder.

Wanna know why Chris and I are smiling in this next picture?

A) because we have three awesome three year olds- and two other cool dudes running around

B) because we are deliriously sleep deprived from last minute planning and staying up until 2 a.m. baking cakes

C) because the March madness birthday month has successfully come to an end!!!

D) all of the above

Brother's just know

Before I get to the triplet's birthday party details I want to share something I thought was so sweet and so telling about the bond of siblings. Before the trip's birthday, I took Colin to Target and told him that he could pick out gifts for Finn, Carter and Everett. I thought it would take forever for a five year old to pick out gifts. I thought maybe it would be hard for him to focus on others and not get ideas for himself. I thought he'd need help and guidance to find appropriate gifts for each of them.

However, Colin knew exactly what he wanted for each brother and they weren't things I'd have necessarily chosen. He was adamant about a jack hammer for Carter. "Are you sure he wants one of these?"

 "Mom, he really wants one of these!"

He chose a Disney puzzle assortment for Finn. "Are you sure?" I'd asked. 

"Yup! I'm sure."

Finally, he picked out a pretend birthday cake for Everett. "I saw him playing with this toy at Edie's house and he really liked it."

His presents were the first ones that his brothers got to open as soon as they woke up on their birthday morning. They LOVED what he'd chosen for each of them and Colin stood there with his arms crossed, proud as could be.

Happy 3rd Birthday Carter, Everett and Finley!!!

Let me introduce you to THREE big time THREE year olds:

Everett, Carter and Finley

YES!

Yesterday was their actual birthday and we had the best time celebrating them! It was such a fun day!

I'll post pictures in the next few days but for now we're too busy playing with new toys and watching them all ride their new big wheel bikes around the neighborhood (Colin got one too). If you see a gang of boys riding big wheels by your house, don't be afraid, it's likely us.

After the party last night, Chris and I stayed up late with my parents reminiscing about the day they were born and what an amazing journey it's been so far. 

12 month photo project: March

Have you heard of The 52 Project? I feel inspired by other parents who are taking a photo of their children every week. I think it's really neat. I'd love to do this but I'm not sure I'd be able to keep up weekly photos, so I've decided to try for once a month! 

My goal is to take a picture once a month, of each of my boys. Hopefully the photos will capture something unique and special about them. 

But here's the deal, I'm not going to do much, if any, editing to the photos because I just feel like I don't have time for anything these days. My initial goal is just to get out my camera once a month, move around the house with it, and capture my boys. I'm excited to look back on these over the next year and see how the boys change! So here we go, March:

Colin, LOVES his new shop vac. He begs me for stuff to vacuum with it. Even vacuuming out our disgusting mini van didn't deter him. I can't wait to remind him of this when he's a teenager and this vacuum is but a distant memory to him.

Carter, with those blue eyes. Carter asks "Why?" or often it sounds more like, "Whyyyyyyyyyy?" after almost anything someone says. It cracks us up and sometimes by the end of the day, drives us nuts. He really does want to know the why behind everything though! Hmmm, maybe a budding scientist like his grandpa? Although Carter himself says, "Me shy", he has made huge strides, attending swim lessons without any tears and also going to the kids area of the gym so I can exercise. 

Finn. This is such a Finn face right now. Mid laugh, and/or about to say something hilarious. The other night in the bathtub, he was staring off and so I asked him what he was thinking about. "Bout how Jesus loves me since I was born." Oh, okay, typical bath time thoughts. Yesterday, I asked the boys what meal we should make Daddy for his birthday. When I got blank stares, I followed up by asking them to think about what food Daddy really likes. Suddenly a light bulb seemed to go off in Finn's head. "I know! Let's make him salt!"

Everett, has been very attached to his bag lately. In it, he carries the things that are important to him, like play-doh, a notepad, a pencil, his luvies and occasionally he'll sneak in a snack too. Last night, after it was lights out and time for sleep, I thought I saw motion by Everett's bed. Upon closer inspection, there he was sitting up, peeling and eating an orange that he'd stored in his bag. You never know when you'll get hungry I suppose.

Owen, is motoring around and pulling to stand every chance he gets. He's one of the guys and he knows it! Always wanting to be where the action is at, this one.

The Christmas Card That Never Was

This will be the last post about Christmas 2013, promise!

I had every intention and hope of sending out a Christmas card this year! But....it didn't happen :(

Did I ever tell you how last May I found a pile of stamped, sealed, addressed and ready to go Christmas cards that I never mailed? I felt terrible! I vowed to do better this year and even took some pictures of the boys to use on the Christmas card before Thanksgiving.

But then December just went and FLEW by on me. I blame December. It got to the point where I realized that I could either be stressed about getting this done and spend a good chunk of time addressing cards or I could let it go.

I chose to let it go.....and vowed that next year I will start in September getting pictures taken and getting the cards ordered! (If that really happens people, it will be a Christmas miracle!)

It was the right decision this year. Once I decided not to worry about sending cards, I instantly felt lighter and space for other things opened up. Like playing in the snow with my kids, helping the boys make wrapping paper and sending my 93 year old grandmother hand made ornaments and drawings from the boys. I can honestly say that we really enjoyed the holidays this year in part because I let much of my "to do" list  fall away. 

For a minute, can we just pretend this is our Christmas card? Can you pretend that the mail man just arrived and you are opening our card? And could you maybe pretend that it's not January 13th??

From youngest to oldest, here's the crew!

Owen

Finn

Everett

Carter

Colin

Wishing you a blessed 2014!!!

Go big or go home!

 I recently took Everett for allergy testing. He was so brave! I'm glad that we finally have specific information about what he's allergic to so we can help him feel better. That night I was thinking about what a great kid he is and remembered that I'd written this post for him back in January but had forgotten to hit, "post". So I'll post it now. 

Love this kid.

Our smiley guy

Dear Everett,

I walked by your door tonight, a full hour and a half past your bedtime and heard you whimpering on and off. You weren't demanding to be attended to, but it sounded like you couldn't get comfortable or fall asleep. It's not really your style to scream for help at night.

I couldn't help myself. I opened the door and crept past your brothers who were fast asleep (they scream for help if not!), and sat next to your crib. I could barely see the white of your eyes in the dark but I knew you were watching me. I slipped my hand through the bars and you grabbed hold. Tightly. "I'll sit with you," I whispered.

Everett, you are such a loving boy. You make the people around you feel so good. You have a great, big, outrageous laugh that in turn make us all laugh and fill with joy. You pause to give great big hugs in the middle of building towers and racing cars, as if to say, "Just because."

You like to sneak up behind me when I'm sitting on the floor, throw your arms wildly around my neck and start laughing (as if I won't know who it is).

But I know it's you. I'll always know your hugs and I'll always know your laugh. There's no mistaking either.

There's an intensity about you. "Go big or go home!" could be your motto. You're unafraid so much of the time. You march into Sunday school as if you own the place, casually waving 'goodbye' to us. You warm up to new people the fastest. You try whatever you see big brother Colin doing even if we think you're too little.... and you often succeed at whatever you're attempting! You are determined. If you don't want to wear a coat, well then, good luck to anyone trying to get a coat on you! If you want the apple up on the kitchen counter, well then, you WILL find a way to climb up there and get it. And you'll probably leave a trail.

You love big. Big laugh, big heart, big hugs. We are so lucky to get to experience you as a son and tonight as I sit holding your hand through the crib bar, watching you slowly drift off to sleep, it's all I can think about.

I love being your mom.

Everett on Colin's bike last weekend. My 5 lb. baby looks so big in this picture.

The Trips Turn Two- Part Two! Party Time!

The trips turned two on March 29th which I wrote about here. We had a low key day because we planned to really celebrate on Saturday. 

Chris and I decorated the living room the night before. Colin and I went out and picked up a bunch of balloons for each of them and tied them on their chairs. We also picked up Winnie the Pooh decorations. Carter, Finn and Everett love the Winnie the Pooh movie- pretty much demand that it's turned on whenever we're in the car! But when I looked for Winnie the Pooh birthday decorations, I had no luck. Well, I did have some luck because low and behold, there were Winnie the Pooh baby shower decorations and we made it work! 

Everett made quite a birthday entrance Saturday morning by falling all the way down the stairs. It was 6:30 a.m. and it scared the crap out of us. It scared him too but surprisingly, he was unhurt. Kids are so resilient! The balloons waiting on his chair also helped dry the tears pretty quick.

Later that day, Aunt Katie arrived with even more balloons! 

Colin wanted to get the boys their own power tools (also kind of a gift to himself since he picked ones that coincidentally he also "needed"). He's no fool. Each of the boys now has their own tool box with a few power tools inside. Colin was SO excited for them to open his presents and the boys loved them. As a side note, I should have gifted myself some ear plugs for when they are all turned on at the same time :)

We got the boys a baby doll. I wasn't sure how they'd respond to it or if they'd be into pretend play with a baby but given that we're having a baby (in only about two months!), I thought having a pretend baby around might be a good idea. They've really surprised me by how interested they are in playing with the baby. Especially Finn. He was so cute on the day of the party. He kept carrying the baby around and even took him outside where he pushed him all over the yard, stopping to feed him a bottle every now and again. They'll be such good big brothers!

As a side note, I could write a whole blog post on how frustrating it is to shop for a boy baby or any pretend baby supplies. Every store I went into sold 99 percent girl dolls (it took me three stores to find a boy doll). I had the same experience years ago when shopping for a baby boy for Colin. I wanted a boy doll since we're having a baby boy. Also, almost all the accessories are pink. Nothing against pink but seriously does it ALL have to be pink?? It's all so catered to little girls. However, I think it's also important for boys to have opportunities to play house and care for a baby. Anyhoo....

Aunt Katie was generous enough to bring our favorite cupcakes (again!) from Chicago. YUMMMM!!! 

 Happy Birthday Carter!

Happy Birthday Everett!

 Happy Birthday Finn!

Happy Big Brother Day Colin!

It was such a special day! 

Not all of our family could be there as everyone lives out of town, but our parents, Chris's sister Katie and my brother Gavin were able to make the trip and it meant so much to us. We couldn't have made it through these first two years of raising triplets without their support, so celebrating with each of them only seemed fitting!

Everett's home!

Everett in the hospital... he took many loops around the third floor during his stay! 

Everett is home and doing much better! We were able to bring him home yesterday afternoon but I was too tired to write an update. He was so happy to get out of the hospital and we were so happy to bring him home. He came home with a nebulizer that we'll continue using until his cough is completely gone. He's also on steroid medication. As to why this happened, it's most likely related to the fact that he was a preemie. Though Finn and Carter do not have this same issue, Everett's lungs were probably not as developed when he was born. When we remember back to their birth, Everett was the only one of the triplets to have difficulty breathing just after delivery. He was intubated for a day or two as we remember (those early days are a bit fuzzy!). He may also have underlying allergies which we plan to investigate. But for now, we're just happy to have him home!

When Chris and I pulled into the driveway with Everett, I could see Colin, Carter and Finn pressed against the front window. When I opened the car door I could hear them yelling with excitement. When we walked in the front door Everett was pretty much tackled with hugs and kisses.

I'll never forget it.

Everett's the one in the middle getting smushed with hugs and kisses.

In truth, the morning Everett was hospitalized (hours before he started having trouble breathing), I'd texted my friend Candace saying that I was pretty convinced I was raising criminals. "Who stole my darling children?" I'd asked her. Of course I don't really think they'll grow up to be criminals but on that particular morning they were making a good case for it, believe me! The constant fighting over toys, the whining, the demands for snacks after they'd just eaten a large meal, dumping bins of toys all over the play room for the fun of it, knocking pictures off the walls and laughing, making me chase them for diaper changes (not so easy in your third trimester)..... and oh the noise. The constant noise! By 10:00 a.m. I'd about had it, hence my text to Candace. She has multiples too and can always relate.

Anyway, just six hours later I was rocking Everett in a hospital room which was quiet except for his soft cries and the oxygen machine running. All I wanted in that moment was to be back home with Everett and in the middle of all the craziness. I rocked and thought about our morning and how I'd take broken picture frames, a messy playroom, the constant noise and even the fighting, over a quiet hospital room any day. Sure it's an obvious choice but occasionally you need a reminder. Life is good and all that hard stuff that comes with raising children is actually a blessing. One day the house will be quiet, the kitchen will be clean, the boys will be grown and I'll miss their antics as active, little boys.

For sure I'll get overwhelmed by them again and I'll send more texts to Candace asking things like, "Is it too early in the day to drink wine?" :-)

But not today.

Nope. Today, I'm too busy appreciating them, soaking up the noise, laughing while chasing them down for diaper changes, reffing fights over toys with a new found patience, and giving thanks that we're all together, playing in this messy playroom.

Everett's homecoming also reminds me that although they fight over completely ridiculous stuff like who gets to play with the red car (even though there are fifty other cars to choose from!), their bond as brothers runs so deep. They did NOT like Everett being gone. They weren't complete.

Now they are again.

Feel better Everett

Our Everett is in the hospital. He's finally fallen asleep. I'm typing this in the rocking chair next to his crib (which looks more like a cage) and hoping we can both get a good stretch of sleep tonight.

It started yesterday when all of the boys woke up with runny noses. Their runny noses appeared nothing more than a minor annoyance to them and didn't seem to slow them down one bit. Except for Everett. His runny nose turned into a respiratory issue (don't know the medical term) which in just a few hours had him struggling to breath (pretty darn scary). This has happened before, back in February and in December but it never developed this fast nor was ever this bad. Usually after a few nebulizer treatments he's on the mend and breathing better. This time though, hospitalization was inevitable.

:-(

He's been such a trooper but he wants to go home (so do I!). By late afternoon today he'd had it and kept bringing me his coat, crying and saying, "Go". How badly I wish we could just pack up and go.

But he's doing much better and so we're hopeful that he'll be released tomorrow.

Now to get some sleep.....

Lunch and some oxygen

Love this little guy

The trips turn two!!!

We've just come off of a whirlwind weekend celebrating the triplets birthday (which is Colin's big brother day) and Easter. I've been so exhausted today recovering from it all, which is why I haven't had a chance to upload any photos!

The triplets officially turned two years old on Friday. Friday morning I took a few pictures of them to commemorate the day, and the rest of the day we just spent time with them doing the things they love. The weather was beautiful and sunny (just like the day they were born) and so we played outside, went on a walk and took them to the playground.

Chris and I found ourselves feeling so sentimental remembering the day they were born, the weeks leading up to their birth and the gratitude we felt on their birth day that they'd arrived safely and were healthy. We felt so blessed not only that they held on until 34 weeks, but that their birth was such a beautiful experience and that I was able to have a natural delivery. 

Still, they were so tiny and fragile and seeing them hooked up to machines and monitors made it easy to worry about their future development.

How far they've come! Today they are active little guys who never seem to slow down! They are talking more and more everyday. Some of their favorite words to yell are, "Mommy!!!!!" (over and over) or "NO, MINE!" when a brother tries to grab a toy. They are loving, feisty, curious and hilarious. They are each so different in look and personality and yet they have an undeniable deep connection to each other. 

Finley, you are so sweet, observant, sensitive and talkative. The words you say out of the blue crack us up daily. Last night you called for me from your crib and I said, "I'll be there in a minute." To which you said, "Alright Mommy!" I didn't know you knew the word, "Alright". You are such a caring boy. If you see that someone is sad, you really notice and try and help by bringing a pacifier or luvie to them. You love to cuddle and I love to cuddle with you! I could snuggle on the couch with you all day Finn! You look exactly like my baby pictures. 

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Carter, you are an animal lover and love to sit with me at the window and watch the birds and squirrels eat from our feeder. You love to chase Olive and pet her. You are so funny and love making us laugh. You don't back down from a fight. If someone tries to take your toy, watch out! You like to sleep right next me whenever you get the chance (I love that too). You and Colin have a very special bond and you guys are thick as thieves lately, always together playing, chatting, laughing and causing trouble! 

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Everett, your hugs are to die for. You give them so freely and without warning. You wrap your arms around whoever you're hugging and squeeze so tight. You're never in a rush to let go. And your laugh..... It's outrageous and contagious! You are a brilliant combination of being easy going and yet super determined. If you want something (or don't want to do something) there's no convincing you otherwise. You'll eat whatever I cook up! Most people say that you look like your Pop-Pop or your big brother Colin.

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And just by the way Colin, you are an AMAZING big brother and we couldn't be prouder of you! It's hard to believe that the triplets are the age you were when you became their big brother. 

Ready to add 10 more little toes to this picture. :-)

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***** On Saturday we had a lovely birthday party with our families who made the day so special. I'll post pictures from the party tomorrow :-)