First Day of Preschool!

Everett, Carter and Finley had their first day of preschool today! They did awesome! Mommy on the other hand was way more emotional than she expected! (More on that in a minute.)

This was kind of funny to me. So in my mind, I thought maybe the boys might wear cute, coordinated but not too matchy matchy outfits on their first day..... because wouldn't that be cute?? :-)

Small problem. You see, these are the same boys with whom we've been so mindful about always reminding them that they are each their own unique, special, person!! They are not just "the triplets", they are Carter, Finley, and Everett, each special, unique and different! So on their first day of school, it should probably be no surprise that they each had a clear, unique opinion about what they wanted to wear, and coordinating outfits was no part of it. Each choice was different and each choice was so fitting to their personality.

Carter wore his sports shorts with a funny (and orange- his current favorite color!) alligator shirt. Finley wore comfy pants (because comfort is everything) and a shirt depicting a shark fishing for pizza (because.... fishing!). Everett went for arguably the most sophisticated choice, a collared polo with corduroy pants.

So them.

After taking a few pictures on the front step, we start the drive to preschool. And I am so not even emotional about this. I mean, it's just preschool, it's just a few times a week for short periods of time, and they are SO READY!

And then I glance back at them in the rear view mirror as we sit at a stop light and for some reason all I can think about is the day we brought them home (same minivan, smaller carseats) from the NICU. 

That was just yesterday, wasn't it??

I remember when we got the okay to bring them home from the NICU, feeling like I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

This picture is blurry because I'm booking it with these babies!

I COULD NOT WAIT TO GET MY BABIES HOME.

That night, when they were finally home, under our roof, fully in our care, it was such a relief (not that they weren't getting amazing care in the NICU, because they were! But for obvious reasons, it feels good and comforting to have your babies home, under your own protection, love and care).

And since that day, they've been in our care. For awhile we were admittedly a little overprotective, worried about germs and the like. There are few people I've trusted to care for them when we can't.

But now we begin the process of nudging them out of the nest with the smallest of first steps. Preschool, just a few times a week, for a couple of hours. 

No big deal.

And yet, glancing at them in the rear view mirror and remembering how far they've come......it suddenly feels like a big deal.

We are so proud of them! Already, they are even stronger than they know.

Be good to them world. 

Mystery Spots, a Mini-Vacation, and Time with a soon to be Two Year Old!

I feel as though I should share how the rest of our week went after my last posting (although I've really tried to block it out). The week didn't get less exciting, in fact, by Wednesday Finn woke up with spots all over his body. I was juuuussst a little freaked out. By Thursday, Carter also had the same strange spots. It was the weirdest thing. Very, very long story short, it was likely caused by a virus and by the weekend they were doing much better. However, it was a long week, in part because we couldn't really go anywhere. I mean, the boys looked horrible, even though they felt okay and since they felt okay, they had a lot of energy, which only increased the longer they were housebound.

This picture was taken after they were doing much better.... ahhhh these two birds. 

By the weekend though, we were assured that Finn and Carter were absolutely no longer contagious and were able to take an overnight trip with Carter and Colin, to my parent's house. They were all JUST a little excited about this trip! From what I hear, there was a lot of rock hunting (my boys are very into rocks lately... as a boy mom, I'm learning.....), treasure hunting, and a trip to the Farmer's market which resulted in balloon swords. They had a ball! And once again, I feel just so thankful that the boys are able to spend quality time like this with my parents.

Owen stayed back with Chris and I and let me just say it was a little strange and quite delightful to only have one kid to look after! Holy smokes, life was kind of a dream! I mean, it's a DREAM with five kids don't get me wrong ;-) but it's also dreamy to remember what it was like to have just one child to care for and spend time with.  Life when we had just Colin seems like a lifetime ago. And after five, caring for "just one" feels infinitely easier. We've never had this kind of one on one time with Owen and although I'm guilty of saying that Owen can be kind of a "pistol" I realized that actually he's NOT hard and he's REALLY super easy going, when one on one! He also seemed to relish having us all to himself because when we'd ask him if he missed his brothers he'd say, "NO" and shake his head. Ha!  (I must add, lest you think he hates having all these brothers, that when they were reunited, there were big hugs and tackles all around).

Eventually we picked up the brothers and found our way back home again. Which brings us to now. Two years ago right now, I was sitting in a hospital room getting to know our Owen. He was just one day old and today was the day he met his four older brothers (although Colin had met him just hours after he'd been born). Watching Colin, Carter, Everett and Finn all excitedly, yet timidly (is that possible?? That's how it felt) charge into the hospital room and then so gently hold their little brother, wearing their "I'm a big brother!" t-shirts, is obviously something I'll never, ever forget. They were so genuinely excited to welcome another.

Owen is such a special kid. I call him my "luvie" because he's like a little teddy bear and has always loved to cuddle. He's feisty. Seriously, don't mess with him. You push him, he WILL push you back. He goes with the flow..... and yet he also knows what he wants and will be very vocal about getting it if need be! He wants to do EVERYTHING that his brothers do, and is often successful at doing it! I seriously think this kid is going to take off on a bike with training wheels soon simply because the tricycle just isn't what his brothers are doing.

He just fits. Owen filled a place in our family and a spot in my heart that could only be filled by him.

Owen, we love watching you grow! You are unique and special and oh so loved by your brothers, your Dad and me. We couldn't love you more!

Here he is having breakfast over the weekend. Doesn't he look miserable being stuck with only mom and dad for two days?

Happy Birthday!!!

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!

Evelyn's Baptism and Mother's Day

Gah! I meant to post pictures from our weekend on Monday and then our house got hit with Strep. Oh how fun that has been.....

So although it's Friday, and Strep is still setting up camp here, I really wanted to post some pictures from the weekend, because it was a good one!

On Saturday we traveled down to Notre Dame for the Baptism of my niece Evelyn. She was baptized in the Log Chapel at Notre Dame, and it was really special. Chris's cousin's Fr. Josh and Fr. Justin baptized her.

Here are a few pictures from the day:





Evelyn's baptism gown is a family heirloom that has been worn by many including her mom Katie, as well as her uncles, her grandmother and many cousins. How cool is that? Colin also wore it when he was baptized.

We tried to get a picture of all the cousins, but Owen was having no part of it!



I love how gently Gabe and Colin are holding little Evelyn. :)

Brunch!

Owen fought taking a nap for as long as he could. Finally it caught up to him and at 4 pm he crashed. Right there in the middle of where six other boys were playing hard! But hey, when you need a nap, you need a nap!!

It was such a great day and we were blessed to be a part of it!

                                                                 ................................

That then brings us to Mother's Day! :) So on Sunday morning, Chris brought me coffee in bed, which was awesome, except that I didn't even have time to drink more than a sip. Carter came flying in the room asking if he could use glitter glue. Mind you, it was 8:45 a.m, church starts at 9:00 and from what I could see, everyone was still in their pjs.

"Sweetie, how about you wait until after Church to use glitter glue?" I say, still half asleep.

"You POOPY MOMMY!!!!!!!" he screams and runs out the door.

Even now, I can't stop laughing about that one. Ahhhh, Mother's Day..... so glorious, so perfect, right from the start.

We were 30 minutes late for Church, but we made it! And Carter eventually recovered from the crushing disappointment of no glitter glue at 8:45 a.m.

After Church we made a gut decision to drive to my parents house, about two hours east. I'd been on the fence about making the trip, especially after such a wonderful, yet busy day of travel the day before. Ultimately though, I really wanted to see my mom and my grandmother. And I knew that my grandmother, who is 94 and just moved to Michigan, would really appreciate the visit.

Boy am I glad we went!

Grandmother beamed seeing the boys again and it seemed to really make her day.

One cute thing that happened during this visit is that Everett held her hand almost the whole time! It was the sweetest thing and I'm not sure at all what prompted it. My kids haven't had the opportunity to spend much time with her since she lived out of state until about a month ago. Yet Everett and she were like two longtime friends. Holding hands, laughing, sharing bracelets and cuddling close.

It was such a blessing to spend the day with the boys, Chris, my parents and my grandmother. I feel so honored to be called "Mommy" by these five incredible kids. I love being their mom and feel thankful to be able to spend my days mothering them. Still it's not all sunshine and roses, right?!..... not by a long shot. I mean, heck, I was called "Poopy Mommy" (said with A LOT of emphasis I might add) right out of the gate, on Mother's Day no less!

One of the biggest lessons I've learned as a mother is that you have to somehow roll with the punches. You gotta be able laugh, let go of unrealistic expectations and be willing to simply begin again, over and over and over. The art of beginning again is something we talk about a lot in our house. Because some days are just rough. Some mornings are hard. Things don't always ever go quite as planned. Meltdowns happen and yes, even Mommy looses her patience sometimes. But we can always begin again.

After Church on Mother's Day, Carter, bless his little heart, threw his arms around me and said, "Sorry Mommy. 'Bout this morning. Me think me was crabby." 

"Soooooo forgiven little one. A thousand times over. Let's just begin again."

There's a Lego in My Coffee

Something happens to my sweet children around 4-5 pm. They become crazed wild men who cannot be tamed. Picture: high decibels, racing around the house, wrestling and tackling each other, which then often turns into real fighting, and just generally getting into trouble. This is often when I try and put on a t.v. show so that maybe I can put away some toys or prep dinner, but sometimes even a show doesn't work.

Today around that golden hour, Owen decided to open a bag of chips and dump them all over the kitchen floor. Then, he decided to pour out a very large container of small beads (beads are much harder to clean up than chips.) Picture me in slow motion pleading, "nooooooooooo" while lunging across the kitchen toward the beads, which were already going everywhere. EVERYWHERE. There was no stopping the damage.

And FYI, Owen thought the whole spectacle was pretty hilarious.

So I did the only thing I could do, I made a pot of coffee, poured myself a cup and then sent as many children as possible outside so that I could catch my breath again.

Then, and I kid you not, I found a Lego in my coffee. A LEGO, people. IN my coffee.



However, soon after the lego in my coffee incident, suddenly, and without warning, all of the children were happily occupied. It was, dare I say.... quiet and serene.

So here I am, venting blogging, sitting on the back deck, enjoying the warm breeze, and this is my view:



Colin, Finn and Everett are quietly beading.

Owen is for the moment, happily playing by the sandbox.

And Carter, is asleep on the couch.



AHHHHHH...... 

Deep Breath......... 

Re-calibrate.... 

Feel the breeze and the beautiful warm air....... 

Remember that Chris will be home shortly.....

Breathe..... 

Breathe..... 

Breathe.....

No doubt things will get crazytown again, but not in this moment. Not right now.

I hope that you too, find little moments to catch your breath, amongst all the busy, and enjoy your weekend!

Thank God for beads! They can make a huge mess (if a certain toddler spills them), but they also keep kids happy and occupied!

Our Week: Butterflies, Special Time, and Dinner On the Deck

We had such a busy week last week, that I only blogged once. Man, as these boys get older, nap less, and stay up later, it gets harder and harder to find time to blog! Nap time and after early bedtime was always my blogging time!

Still, I'll continue to blog when I can, because I do really enjoy it.

Last Sunday, we headed up to Grand Rapids to see the butterflies. This was the last week of the Butterfly exhibit and there were so many to see! Since moving here, it's something we've done every year and the boys always enjoy it.

As a side note: you know you have a big family when it is the same price or cheaper to buy a year long family pass than it is to pay for your family to enter one time! We often end up with a year's pass to the zoo, the Children's Museum, Meijer Garden's.... it's just something funny to me.

 

Up until last year they were scared that a butterfly might land on them (because occasionally they will). However this time, they were all hoping and praying that a butterfly would land on them!



Hence Colin, holding his finger out, trying to welcome a butterfly to land..... at first I couldn't figure out what he was doing! To his dismay, it didn't happen this time. :(

We also walked through some of the outdoor sculptures. I love the above picture.... how each one is following the next....Chris as the lead..... all my loves, all in a row, doing their thing.

Colin and Finn

Every couple days Finn will ask Colin, "Colin are you still my best friend?" To which Colin replies, "Yup".   "Okay good" Finn will say.

It was also a "special time" week. Chris and I make an effort to get "special time" with each child. Our house is busy and sometimes the little people talk over each other (with five young children, this just seems inevitable). Our intention during a child's "special time", is that they enjoy our undivided attention, feel special and well listened too. For us as parents, it's also so nice to be able to have that one on one time with them and get to know them a little better.

So, each night after dinner last week, either Chris or I took one of the (four older) boys for their special time.

Colin and Chris went to get haircuts and then out for ice cream.



On Tuesday, Carter and I went swimming and then out for ice cream. He talked non-stop, which I got such a kick out of and so enjoyed. I learned more about him. Such as, his favorite things to play these days, what he's most afraid of, and what he really thinks about going to preschool next year.

Everett and Chris went out to dinner together and apparently Everett sucked down the lemonade he ordered so fast, it was pretty unbelievable. Although we do take the boys out to restaurants, we don't usually allow them to order any drink besides water because it gets expensive. So- Everett was in heaven with his lemonade(s). Afterwards, they went for ice-cream.

Finn wanted nothing more than to go fishing with Chris, so although it was really my turn to have special time with him, I let the two of them go...... Finn got to use his new fishing pole and although they didn't catch anything, it wasn't really about the fish anyway.

And then before we knew it, it was the weekend! AND, it's Tulip Time! Tulip time is a big deal in Holland, Michigan. There are multiple parades, rides, music, dancing, events, petting zoos, fireworks, and of course, beautiful tulips everywhere you go! We've actually never really participated much in the Tulip Time festivities simply because the boys were always so little, but this year, we're dipping our toes in and checking things out.

Oh, and we ate out on the deck for the first time this season. That always feels so good!

I tried to use the timer to take this picture but it didn't really turn out. Trust me though, we are all there, outside on the deck and there's no snow and it's beautiful and we loved every minute of it!

Although we are without question, the loudest family in the neighborhood. :)

Hope you had a good weekend too!

Wild Friday Nights and Random Acts of Kindness

I just bought the boys each a new game for the Leap Pads in the hopes that I could have maybe 30 minutes to take a break. What. A. Week. It. Has. Been!

Last week, the stars seemed to align indicating it was time to start weaning Owen as well as moving him to a toddler bed (just trust me, it made sense for why both were happening at about the same time). It was going well, but then right in the middle of this process Chris got as sick as I've probably ever seen him! Body aches, horrible cold, fever, chills..... he's hardly left our bed in four days.

Which means that the boys and I have spent a lot of quality time together and helping Owen adjust to this new stage has fallen entirely on me :-)

On Friday night, in an effort to pass the time between 5 pm and 8 pm (bedtime!) and avoid cooking dinner/ messing up the kitchen, the boys and I hit up Kohl's and Panera Bread for dinner.

After dinner, an older man who had been sitting with friends at the table next to us, bought us all dessert to take home! He waved "goodbye" to the boys, seemed to leave, but then walked back to our table with a big Panera bag filled with dessert. He said some really kind, encouraging words to me which made me tear up, and then said he thought the boys and I deserved some dessert. "God Bless your family" he said as he walked away.

I mean seriously!!...... I can't even tell you what a difference that simple, kind gesture has made in our whole weekend. It really uplifted us. This man had no idea the doozy of a week we've had, all he saw was a mom out with five little boys and thought we could use some dessert.

I'll tell you what, I've been on the receiving end of quite a few random acts of kindness since moving to Michigan. They've always occurred when I've been out with the boys (ha!) and every single act of kindness has impacted me greatly. People in West Michigan are really good, kind people.

Since the boys have observed random acts of kindness towards us before, they know the deal. We always pay it forward.

"Mom, we're going to have to think of what we're going to do nice for someone else now!" Colin said as we drove away.

Yes we are!

Kohl's baby!

Heading home with our special dessert in hand :)

How far you've come, my babies

So here's the deal. I realized that I have A LOT of posts that were written but for whatever reason, never published. I'm pretty sure that I got distracted by the kids and forgot. So I thought, in the spirit of "Throwback Thursday", that I would actually hit, "publish" on some of these. Each Thursday, if I can remember :), I'm going to publish a post that I wrote sometime in the past.

This post, was written late last fall and I happened upon it today in my draft folder. I saw the title and thought, "Hmmm, wonder what this is about." It's timely for me to stumble upon it, because the triplets will TURN FOUR ON SUNDAY! I'm feeling all kinds of sentimental this week! 

..............................................................................

Carter, Finley, Everett, Owen and I stayed in our pajamas most of the day today, right up until it was time to pick Colin up from school. It was awesome!

Usually, we do something on Tuesdays, either out and about in the community or meeting up with friends. But today, we decided to stay put and it was so refreshing. We played, we did finger painting, beading, play-doh, coloring, reading and watched some episodes of Inspector Gadget while eating grapes and mini pizzas. I'm so happy that we chose not to send the trips to school this year and can enjoy days like these. For our family and our situation, getting this extra time with them before they start formal school was the right decision.

Still......Some days??

Some days I feel so overwhelmed by the immensity of raising these little people! I love them more than anything, and also..... they drive me bonkers sometimes. Sometimes, I feel so overstimulated by the noise, the toys everywhere, the constant truck and construction sounds they make while playing, the fighting, the whining, the crawling all over me......

It can all feel so hard. 

Then last night, long after the boys had finally fallen asleep, I was rummaging through a desk drawer looking for, of all random things, a bookmark. Instead, I stumbled upon this photo:

It's the first ultrasound we had of the triplets, when we learned, to our shock, that we were expecting triplets.

The picture stopped me in my tracks and I stood there thinking,

"That's Carter, Everett and Finn. That's Carter, Everett and Finn!" It seems so funny and amazing that it's actually THEM in there. Because at the time, of course, we never could have pictured who they would be, their funny, unique personalities, lively spirits and amazing laughs. 

At the time of this ultrasound I was in shock and worried. I wondered, "Would they be okay? How premature would they be? Would they be healthy? Would Colin be okay with three babies joining our family at once? Would we be able to handle three babies arriving at once??" There was so much unknown and so much to worry about, it seemed. 

I wish I could go back to this ultrasound day and tell the me laying on that table wide eyed and scared that, "This is going to be so fine. One day these little blips on that screen are going to be healthy, loud, independence seeking, non-stop talking, whining, active three and a half year olds. They along with their brothers, will be driving you bonkers with construction noises and exuberant play, on a daily basis." That would have been music to my ears. It still is really.... I just forget sometimes how far we've come together.

I think God knew I needed that reminder last night. 

SPRING!!!

First bike ride of the season! Wahoo!!

Don't let the snow in these pictures fool you, spring is on it's way! We can feel it!! Over the past week, we've had a few days that felt more spring-ish, then dead of winter-ish. This gives us hope! Hope that soon we'll be once again playing in the driveway for hours on end. Hope that our days will once again be filled with bike rides and walks and exploring the outdoors. My boys (and this Mom) don't do well being cooped up in doors for too long. They need to explore and they need the outdoors! 

Other signs of spring:

A lowly caterpillar:

By the way, mismatched gloves are the new trend. Did you know that?

Maple syrup!!!

Every year since we've moved out of the city, Chris has tapped the trees in our yard and made syrup that lasts most of the year. Chris loves the outdoors and doing stuff like this..... it's such a part of who he is and we love this about him! As you might imagine, the boys love to help with the process! Every day, we check the taps to see how much sap there is and then carry the sap over to the always simmering, enormous pot. Seriously, this pot is simmering for most of March!

The ability to play outside without getting stuck in waist high snow.

Flowery necklaces.

So, I wore this necklace for the first time today, because it felt like spring, it was sunny out and well, because, why not? I thought it was a good choice. But when I came downstairs, the boys all stopped cold in their tracks and  looked at me STARED at me. Carter seemed to speak for everyone when he asked, "What the heck is that on your neck?!"

MEN. 

They don't always get it.

Given that we live in Michigan, we are well aware that we could easily get another snowstorm..... (Please NO!) but not today. Today we are just enjoying the sun and the "warmth" and the outdoors!!