Oh what a Monday!

Can I just take a minute to re-cap this day while I sip a glass of wine?

By 10:30 a.m. Owen and I were hanging out together in Urgent care, with his lip split open good and blood covering his pants and shirt. The cause was a freak playground accident involving a slide, a block and a brother. Poor kid! It's not always easy growing up with four older brothers who you want to keep up with!

Lovely huh?

I was hoping to just go to our pediatrician's office but because it was possible Owen would need stitches (nooooo, not again!), the pediatrician advised us to go to Urgent care. I was praying that Urgent care would somehow be empty on a Monday morning, but alas, it was packed. We waited and waited and waited some more. Then a lovely physician's assistant came in and I kid you not, this guy (who was nice as can be!) looked like he was 15 years old. Am I just getting old???

Anyway, as it turns out, Owen did not need stitches (YAY!!!) and his cut should heal just fine.

On our way to Urgent care, I got a message from our pediatrician confirming that Everett's strep test came back positive. Poor Everett (except not really bc they started him on medicine last Friday anyway and he's doing great now!)

By 3:00, Carter had spiked a fever of 102. Poor Carter, I did not see that coming! So now Carter and I have a date at the pediatrician's office tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. (bc he's already on antibiotics so it's confusing why he would spike a fever).

Between Owen's lip, Everett's test results, and Carter's fever, I talked with "Sheila, the advice line nurse" (that's how she answers the phone), at our pediatrician's office, four times today! We're buds now. "Oh hey Sheila, it's Jess again...."

So then at 4:00, Chris got his wisdom tooth pulled.

Boy were we all a sight to see around the dinner table. Chris in his post tooth pull state, Carter laying on a couch pulled up by the table, and Owen, trying to eat with his lip still split open.

I hate when my guys aren't feeling well and/or get hurt! Not fun. But of course, it could always be worse. Also, I'm really hoping that the rest of the week is less "exciting"!

Cheers to that!

St. Patrick's Day and the Elusive Leprechaun!

This week is even more busy than a usual week and because of that I'm giving myself grace (something I'm working on). In the past, we've had fun celebrating St. Patrick's Day with all things green at dinner (a tradition that my mom did when we were growing up). But with everything going on this week, I threw Colin in a green shirt and patted myself on the back. Wearing a green shirt would be enough.

Then I found some clean green shirts for the other boys and myself and felt even better. I thought, "Alright, we're all in green. Done."

When we picked up Colin after school, he excitedly flew into the van as soon as the door slid open and announced that, The Leprechaun messed up EVERYTHING at his school! He turned the toilet's GREEN! He messed with stuff in his classroom! And worst of all, he took gold and left silver instead. Furthermore, he announced, the trap that he and his friend build did not work! It almost worked.... but alas, the Leprechaun got away.

He was SO excited about all the Leprechaun happenings at school...... and it was contagious.

"Guys. Did anything strange happen around here?" Colin asked as we pulled into the driveway.

"YEAH. I think SO!" said Finn, and all the boys ran inside to investigate.

The younger boys and I had been home all day because Carter was sick. But when they all walked in, Colin noticed some OBVIOUS Leprechaun shenanigans. Evidence 1: The place was a mess. (Yup, must be the Leprechaun). Evidence 2: There were popcorn crumbs all over the kitchen floor. (Again, clearly the doings of the Leprechaun and not a result of Carter, Everett, Finn, Owen and I gorging on a mid afternoon snack without time to sweep up.)

After surveying the evidence, they ran downstairs to build traps. I sat back and watched them in action, feeling like I'm the luckiest person in the world, to be a part of this moment in time with them, where everything is magical and Leprechauns really exist.

One of my little Irishmen. He's posing but also doing a hula dance. Because, why not?

When you were little.....

Wasn't building stuff out of boxes, the BEST ever?

Tonight, we helped the boys build their own houses out of boxes. It was so fun to watch them create! Each expressing their own unique style. 

Hello Carter!

Carter decided to create a pulley system using a swing hook that we have bolted into the ceiling, and string. So the way he'd get into his house, was by pulling up the box and crawling under. 

Oh hey Finney! Finn spent a lot of time decorating his front yard and his back yard. Later, he asked for special permission to eat his dinner in his house. Which was granted. I mean, how cute?!

Owen, who, though he didn't make a house, he loved "helping" everyone else. 

Colin. What a loved about his approach tonight, was that upon learning of our family activity, he ran straight upstairs to grab his "work overalls". I don't have a picture of him in his overalls but trust me, they are adorable. :-)

Everett told us that he didn't want his picture taken tonight.... which is always respected and why his special house isn't on the blog tonight :-)

The First Snow Day

Today was a snow day and it's also a day that I have no help with the boys. It was just the boys and I all day long, while a freezing blizzard raged outside.

There were some good times..... we did crafts and I hid items around the house for the boys to find. We played trains and trucks and bristle blocks and pretended to have a band together. We made cookies.

Still, there were so many hours to fill and in between the easy breezy times were fights over turn taking and whining out of boredom and boo boos and an 18 month old who didn't want to nap even though it would have been the perfect day for him to take a great nap.

Really the kids were just being kids. They're just little boys and it's important to always remember that. But sometimes the noise and the constant activity and being climbed on and needed EVERY SECOND FOR HOURS ON END, starts to feel so overstimulating to me. Did I mention the noise volume??

When Chris finally pulled into the driveway, the boys were running laps around the first floor while making truck noises and tackling each other. When Chris finally walked through the front door, I couldn't help but burst into tears. All the hard of the day, let out in that moment, in those tears.

Chris took the boys outside to shovel the driveway, while I cooked dinner and re-calibrated. He is a good man and knows when I need a break! Dinner was followed by bath and books and bed. By the time the boys were tucked in their beds, I felt completely spent and guilt ridden for the moments that I was less than patient with the boys. I sat in their room listening to them one by one fall asleep (because if one of us doesn't sit in their room they'll fool around!).

 I thought they were all asleep but still had to say it. One more time today.

"I love you all so much."

And little Everett half asleep, who coincidentally gave me the most run for my money today, quietly and with certainty said. "And me love you too, Mommy. So much me love you too."

"And, again, I can’t repeat this too much: If you try to be perfect, you’re trying to be nonhuman. The most important human quality you have as a family is your warmth and your spontaneity and your emotionality and if you try to be perfect, you’re going to do it in a rigid way. So, to be human is to be emotional. If you do the important things it means that you’re going to also have both strengths and weaknesses and life is an ongoing process of keeping these in balance. So, that’s what you need to remember."

Stanley I. Greenspan, M.D. Web-based Radio Show December 2, 2004

(A therapist friend of mine recently posted the above quote from Dr. Stanley Greenspan, a child development specialist and someone who was a huge influence in many people's lives and careers, including mine. I first read his words as a young therapist, with the families I work with in mind. Today, I read his words and think about my own family too. He was such a wise and gentle man.)

Picture Perfect....and Behind the Scenes

We had our first snow this week. Yesterday to be exact. By four pm, this was the scene outside:

 

Snow gently falling and little boys playing in it. 

Picture perfect. 

Of course, that's not the whole story. ;)

Let me just put it this way, I'm not sure which was more painful. Birthing them all....

-Or-

Taking them all shopping for boots, including one 18 month old who thought it was his JOB to pull every box of shoes off the shelves that he possibly could.

Searching the house for the bin of snow pants, hats, gloves, coats etc. and determining what still fit.

And finally, dressing five little boys to go play out in the snow. 

All in one day. Because God forbid I was to plan ahead one of these years. 

By the time we were all out there, I was SPENT. They, on the other hand, were energized.

And so it goes.......

I spy five Miller boys

Owen kept making the funniest faces while exploring the snow. Love this kid. 

The only one who didn't need any new snow gear. Thanks to hand me downs!

Colin

Everett

Finn

 Well, I just noticed that I don't have a picture of Carter from outside. Probably because he was too busy shoveling. That kid is such a worker and seriously loves the outdoors. He never stops working and playing, even for a second, when outdoors. 

BUT- I do have a funny picture of Carter, from today. He ran over to me all proud and asked, "Mom do you like my necklace?! It's a scissor necklace!"

While I can appreciate the creativity, I do question the safety element of a "scissor necklace", especially when I see him running around the house, scissor necklace swinging everywhere.

 Maybe it's just me. 

Halloween 2014

Despite the freezing temperatures, we had another fantastic Halloween! Finn and Carter dressed up as fishermen, Colin was a shark and Everett revamped an old costume of Olive's, to dress up as a bumble bee (with a magic wand of course!). Owen was a giraffe. 

Here they are, our motley crew:

Finley, Colin, Owen, Everett, Carter

Oldest, youngest.

 For the second year in a row, not only has my mom planned fun Halloween themed snacks, but she has the patience to make them with up to fifty little fingers, enthusiastically helping! The boys love this part of what is fast becoming Halloween tradition!  

"Can we go yet? Can we go yet? Can we go yet?!"

Halloween 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013

***Also friends, I lost my phone almost a week and a half ago. I'm so sorry if you've tried to text or call me and I haven't responded! I likely won't have a phone for another couple weeks so if you need to reach me, e-mail me :-) 

Lately

I'm here. Just busy, and I was sick for a few days. I've said before that the hardest part about parenting triplets plus two is when they all get sick. But I may revise this. The hardest might be when Mom is sick, but all the children are healthy and full of energy. I found myself saying things like, "If you go play nicely with each other in the basement and let mommy rest on the couch, I'll give you lollipops...."

Other than that bump in the road, we've been busy doing some fun stuff. The biggest event this week, was that the boys had their last soccer game of the season.

It has been so special to watch them grow through this experience, each in their own way. Finley, who had quietly watched from the sidelines all season, decided to play, for a few minutes, during the last game. He even kicked the ball. I was so proud that in his own way and in his own time, he gave it a go. He was proud of himself too!

Another memory that will stick out in my mind about this season is how whenever one of the boys would score a goal, they'd follow it up by hugging/ tackling each other on the field. They are brothers through and through!

I'll also remember how desperate Owen was to get out there and play with them! My time was spent constantly trying to prevent Owen from rushing the field while trying to watch the game and cheering for the older boys.

Your time will come, Owen. Don't you worry...

Team Michigan! Chris was the coach.

Everett, Colin, Finn, Carter

Thoughts on Blogging and Our Week in Review

This post was written on Saturday but in the midst of life, I didn't have a chance to hit the publish button until now :) 

I've been struggling a little with this blog lately. There are weeks that I want to recommit to writing more regularly and then there are times when I think about closing this chapter and shutting the blog down completely. The "keep writing" part of me is the part that loves to write and document pieces of our life in this way. But it used to be easier, both the finding the time to write and the what to write about parts.

The boys are getting older and there are no more times when everyone is napping and no more super early bedtimes. Those used to be the times when I'd get on my computer and blog away. The boys are up and active as ever, morning until night. They eat more. This means that I'm cooking more, which takes up a lot of time (at least for me, I'm not the fasted cook in the world). Most evenings, you can find me cooking in our kitchen, preparing for the next days inhale of food. I refuse to feed my family crap and in turn, meal planning and prep takes time. Time I used to spend blogging.

Also there seems to be SO MUCH going on day to day. There's so much good, so much busy, and yes, there is still so much that's challenging about parenting five young children. Teasing out what to put on paper (err, computer) seems overwhelming at times, especially when I'm not writing regularly.

And then there's this. Those times when I consider closing this chapter in our lives stems from the fact that our boys are getting older, and as they get older I become less comfortable putting their stories and pictures on the Internet. The boys might grow up and appreciate the fact that I've blogged parts of their lives and stories here. They may enjoy reading it. That's my hope. Or, and this is my fear, they might grow up and resent it. I'm trying to find a balance between not putting too much out there (in all forms of social media), yet wanting to document our days together. I'm trying to balance wanting to write honestly from my heart about my experience of motherhood (the good and the hard) but at the same time, not putting too much out there in this medium. I'll always write but which outlet is best at this point in my life, I'm not sure. I am not a mom who is great about creating baby books or even hanging pictures. Only my oldest has a semi thrown together baby book. So blogging works well for me as a way to capture our days. And when I look back over posts, I personally enjoy remembering days spent together, days that I'd almost forgotten. But it's not about only me and in turn, I'm thinking through where to go with this blog.

Bear with me as I sort through my thoughts about this.....

In the meantime, here is our week in review!

I mentioned in a previous post, that we do not have as much help with the boys anymore. In fact, I think that we have the least amount of help we've had since the triplets were very young. We still have our nanny and she's like family to us by now and phenomenal with the boys, so we're so thankful that we were able to work out a schedule that keeps her in our life and yet fits with the level of help we need right now.

Being able to parent my boys without help has given me renewed confidence and enjoyment in parenting. There was a period of time when the triplets were younger, I was pregnant with Owen and Colin was no more than 3 or 4, where felt impossible (and unsafe) to go anywhere with my children alone. That was hard and again, thank God we found wonderful help to get us through. But we're through that period now and on the other side! I can take all of the boys to drop Colin at school and then the triplets, Owen and I can go have adventures and then pick Colin up again at the end of the day, all together. The triplets can now follow directions, put on their own shoes, and almost buckle themselves into their car seats. When we're out, they stay by me. They can tell me with words how they're feeling and what they need. This all makes life a lot easier!

The boys started soccer this past week! Chris is the coach and on a six kid team, we take up four of the slots!

Colin in the red pants, Everett to the right, then Carter

Finn decided to watch, this time. Owen, reluctantly watched, but wanted to play in the worst way!

Finn, Carter and Everett attended Nature School on Thursday morning. It's a once a month program put on by our local nature center. I decided not to send the boys to preschool this year so it's nice to have these little school type experiences every now and again. They loved it!

 Art, art, art!

The triplets love doing artwork and so we do a lot of it these days. As soon as Owen goes down for nap, the art supplies come out and they create, create, create for hours. It's becoming one of my favorite times of the day.

And today, kind of on a whim, we headed up to Grand Rapids to check out the West Michigan RV outlet show. Basically, lots and lots of RVs, pop-ups and Motor Homes were lined up and ready to be viewed. The boys thought it was so fun to run from camper to camper checking them out. "Let's get this one!" they'd say, after every single one. We'd love to buy a camper so it's fun to see what's out there and dream about adventures we'll have together camping as a family. Hopefully someday!

Afterwards, we hit up Potbelly's. Yummmmm.

Letting Go

Today Colin said that he wants to ride his bike to school for the first day of Kindergarten.

"Okay, sure."

"Hey, do you want to try and learn how to ride without your training wheels today?" I asked, secretly fearing that all the other bike riders would be arriving without training wheels.

"Sure!"

And so we all headed over to Colin's new school where we had the parking lot to ourselves. We'd had a sense for a while now that Colin could probably give it a go without his training wheels, but in the busyness of day to day life in our family, we just hadn't gotten around to trying it. Plus, Carter also loves riding Colin's bike and for sure he still needs some extra support when riding.

Chris played on the playground with the younger boys and Colin and I got to it.

We started out by having him peddle while I ran next to him holding the handle bars and his shirt, tightly. Gradually I began to loosen my hold and give him the reigns. Slowly but surely he found his sense of balance, control and confidence. At one point he said, "You know, I think the faster I peddle, the more stability I have." 

Umm, okay, what grade are you going into?? Stability?? I didn't know that was in his vocabulary, haha. He was right though. :-)

Eventually, when I was only ever so slightly holding onto his shirt, he said that I could let go but, "Stay close Mom!"

Round and round the parking lot we cruised. Him peddling and me running beside him, ready to catch him if he fell.

And then, kind of suddenly it seemed, he said, "Mommy, you don't need to run beside me anymore."

Colin, although I was so out of breath from running that I felt like I was going to collapse, I wasn't ready to let you go! I wasn't sure you were ready. I mean, what if you fell? But I kept my mouth shut, stopped running next to you and let you go.....

And you took off flying. With confidence, with a smile, and yelling, "Hey Carter, you see THIS?!"

12 Month Photo Project- August

Getting out my camera to capture the boys, each month

(For this month, I chose pictures that I took of the boys while on vacation last week.)

Everett, enjoying the waves

Carter, our blue eyed happy boy

Finn. This is *such* a Finn look. 

Owen, who may have enjoyed vacation the most out of everyone! He seriously blossomed on vacation this year.

Colin, who in three days, will head to Kindergarten. 

Spa day with my boys

I'm not sure I ever thought I'd be typing that heading.

Okay, so we weren't at an actual spa, just in our living room. Still, I had a great time with the boys today, watching them get haircuts just in time for Christmas and later getting pedicures.

First the haircuts. Thankfully, we have someone who comes to our home to cut the boys hair. Such a blessing! The last time we took the boys for haircuts at a salon, A LOT of hair product ended up on the floor and things got pretty rowdy. It wasn't pretty. In the boys defense, it's hard to sit still and wait for your turn, especially when there are shelves full of hair products just begging to be rearranged.

Everett, staying still

She asked him, "What kind of haircut do you want?" His answer, "A handsome one"

On to the pedicure. Wasn't it just yesterday I was getting pedicures boy mom style??

Apparently, we've come a long way. Today, Colin begged me to let him paint my toenails with "REAL toe paint."

Sure thing.

Add a little sparkle? Why not?

The finished product

Beautiful, no?

After seeing my gorgeous nails, everyone wanted their toenails painted and Colin happily obliged!

A bit later, while I was in the kitchen, and had obviously forgotten to put away the nail polish, Carter ran in all excited.

"Mommy, look! I painted my toe nails myself!"

Yup. You sure did Carter!