Don has an Owie

Don hurt his back Thursday at work and is out of commission for a bit. He got an MRI done yesterday and they won't be able to give him the results until Monday. The DR office his workers comp sends him to is ridiculous. The lady who "assessed" him first told him he would have to go over to her and he let he know he couldn't even walk. they asked him if he wanted crutches. CRUTCHES...how about a wheelchair, people? Then she told him to take off his shirt, and he told her it took him over 10 minutes to put his clothes on, so if she had time he would do it. Then she told him to stand up and touch his toes. He can barely dress himself, let alone walk, and she wants him to stand up and touch his toes?!?

So needless to say, that appointment didn't help his spirits at all. He is hanging in there, but I can tell it is very hard for him to not be able to interact as much with the boys. So please, say a prayer for Don to quickly heal and for us to have patience during this time.

Individual Movies

This set of videos are a little different than normal. We noticed there are many videos of the boys together and it made us take note and try to capture them when they were keeping themselves busy. It is interesting. When they are all together, they are crazy and act just how you would expect three 1 year olds to act. But videoing them separately, gives me a chance to really sit aback and observe their individual personalities. I am sure you will agree with me that the videos of Wyatt and Jaxon's make me a little concerned that someone may be slipping a little toddy into their dinner milk cup.

This first video is Wyatt by himself. He is playing peek a boo with his own reflection and then telling himself "no, no, nooo" when he grabs for the door handle(which he knows he shouldn't do). Seriously, he is a little crazy here.


The second video is of Jaxon. This video is shorter. but he has about 5 emotions in that short amount of time. He mainly just makes faces and laughs like a little crazy man.


Last is Lucas helping Don get the "last chance" milk. He loves to grab milk for his brothers and pass out their cups to them. Tonight he just kind of threw the cups at them, but you get the general idea. It is not the personality video we got of the other two, but I am sure one day we will get a chance to "capture" him, too.

Finally in the Big Tub!

Until last week, we have been happily squeezing the boys into the kitchen sink for their baths. It had worked perfectly for us, our backs weren't aching and we had a little system that would get all three bathed, lotioned, and dressed in less than 30 minutes. Not to mention I have some memories of horror stories of bathing triplets in the tub at the same time and was not looking forward to the chaos that I was sure would happen here. Especially since we have busy little boys, and busy boys always seem to find trouble.

Trouble for us was when they learned how to turn the sink water on and off, as well as learning how fast Mommy would jump when they poured water out of the sink on to the counters and floors. We knew it was time to upsize to the real deal. Time for the big tub!

Turns out, the big bath was not what I feared at all. All three of them seem to love it so far. Luke is very attached to the foam letters that stick to the bath walls, Wyatt likes to drink the water, and Jaxon is a splashing maniac! They love the bath tub so much, it has gone from a half-hour-rush-to-get-it-done, to they-are-being-so-good-let-them-stay-in-longer.

Here are some videos of last night's bath. First is Wyatt bending over to stick his face in the water for a drink.




Here is a peek at what 40 seconds of bath time is like for us.

Dancing Babies

Today I attempted to FINALLY get the boys on video while they are dancing. While waiting for the "good stuff" I got a video of the boys just hanging out and watching the movie, but you can see how "monkey see, monkey do" they are. One sits, they all sit.
Lucas is in the orange, Wyatt's in the grey, leaving Jaxon in the brown.


For being such a serious baby, Lucas really loves to boogie! Watch him bounce up and down and the shake his booty while swinging his arms! Here you can see all three dancing, but then notice Luke spots the camera, and gets shy. He walks away, and again the others follow him. Little ducks!
Lucas is still in the orange, Wyatt's grey, and Jaxon's in the brown.

Jackets, Moons and Water, oh my!

So many little things are happening! None are huge milestones, but they add up quickly and show us that our babies are growing and learning more everyday.

The first thing that caught our attention this afternoon was when we were putting jackets on the boys. Instead of making us do 100% of the work, we only had to hold the jackets up and zip them after the boys had shimmied their arms in the sleeves themselves.

The second surprise happened while we were outside. Jaxon saw a little sliver of the moon and kept looking up at it. I told him that it was the moon. "Moon?" he repeated, clear and perfect in his little questioning voice. As I mentioned before, Jaxon "talks" all the time, but I think this was his first clear word.

The third eye catcher was while the boys were eating a snack at their picnic table. Wyatt had a full mouth of food and I told him to take a drink of water. As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard Lucas repeat me, "wah-der". 2 new words in one day!

The boys love to "help" us get things done. Wyatt loves to help me load clothes into the drier. I just take the clothes out of the washing machine and drop them on the open drier door and Wyatt pushes the clothes all the way into the drier - and then even closes the drier door when we are done. Lucas and Jaxon love to help Don get the milk sippies at bed time. He will open the refrigerator door and put the milk cups where his helper can reach them. One by one the helper takes a cup and drops it to the other side of the gate where his brothers are waiting. Finally, when the helper has his own cup, he'll push the fridge door shut and go join his brothers in the living room. This is one of their favorite things to do, and they get so excited when it is their turn to help with the milk sippies.

New sounds, more attempts at saying and repeating words, and their insatiable appetite for learning more amaze me everyday. They have always been affectionate, but now they yell, "momma" when I come down the stairs and they are getting so much better at returning the toys they just took from each other. That's not to say fighting has gotten better -we are still struggling with biting and hair pulling- but they are starting to show more empathy and we can tell they sometimes *try* to choose the right thing to do. They are such sweet boys and everything new they learn just gives us one more reason to fall in love with them.

Saturday Fun with Cousins

We had such a great Saturday! The boys' cousins (Michael, Cathryn and Matthew) are in town and we have been having lots of together time! It was the boys' first time feeding the birds there and the weather was perfect! We took some pictures after feeding the ducks and geese, then went over to the playground area to eat lunch and let all six of them get their energy out. There is such a difference in what they are able to do since we went to this park a few months ago!


Jaxon has been feeling a little under the weather, but the fresh air seemed to do the trick for him! He was climbing and exploring just like his brothers. He and Lucas loved to run after the pigeons and chase them off. After lunch the kids played a bit more, except Wyatt came back to the blanket and wanted to eat everyone's left overs. He ended up with Cathryn's shake and whatever food he could pile into his mouth.

By nap time it was time to go home and put the boys down for a nap. We ended up with some great pictures of the day!

A Family Valentine

Is it me, or do holidays just get better and better when you have children around to share it with?

Don and I aren't in to big presents for holidays. We know how much we mean to one another. There are regularly flowers in the house and "I love you's" are said and shown many times daily. As corny as it sounds, we really just like to enjoy each other on the holidays, no presents needed.

With all that being said, Don still got me flowers and a box of chocolates- not to mention a beautiful card for Valentines day. He spoils me, I know. =) When he got home from work, we were debating about going out for dinner. When I grabbed the phone to call a nearby buffet about pricing, the phone rang with my mom on the other end. She was on her way over to our house with my niece and nephew in the car. They were just killing time until they were to meet my dad at Olive Garden. Olive Garden, mmmmmmm.

We had a table for 10, full with 4 adults and 6 children. Leigha was even able to stop by for a few minutes to say hello on her way out for a Valentine date. It was a great family dinner with Cathryn and Matthew trying to "teach" my dad the alphabet and the boys eating more than their share of penne pasta with alfredo sauce and endless salad. It was their first time really using plates and forks for their full meal in public and they did such a great job! The whole scene felt like an Olive Garden commercial with all the laughing and warm fuzzy moments.

After having the best birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and now the best Valentine's Day -all in just the past few months- I have to wonder if it is just the presence of the kids (all 6 of them this time) that make the holidays so much more fun.

All about Wyatt

Da-da, Momma, Na-na, Pa-pa, Da-da, Momma....
These are Wyatt's words. Sometimes he is looking at pictures in a frame hanging in the living room and he is naming them off. Other times he is strapped into his car seat looking out the car window and we will just hear his little voice reciting the people he knows, "Da-da, Momma, Na-na, Pa-pa....

Wyatt is usually a quiet baby, although quiet doesn't describe his personality! He's a lover, a mover and other times he is rough and tough and just plain scrappy. One of his favorite things is to wear his baseball cap and pull it down all the way over his face while trying to maneuver around the living room. We hold our breath, hoping he won't walk into anyone and then we rush to move all the little toys he may trip over. When he's done, his big blue eyes peep out from under his cap and he laughs because he made it, and then he pulls his hat down over his eyes to try it again.

Wyatt's such a loving baby! From when he was as young as 7 months old, we've gotten pictures and videos of him loving on his brothers, drowning them in kisses full of saliva. These days, if he sees us laying on our stomachs, up on our elbows, he'll walk right up and lay down by our heads to be kissed on. He always fits right into our arms, he's so compact and his little body is so flexible. He has perfected the hug with his little arms holding tight, he finds the perfect shoulder spot to put his head on and melts right into our body. When his brothers are upset, he comforts them by patting their backs or rubbing their hair with his little hands. And as of today, he still loves to lay on his brothers and kiss them.

Wyatt's got great rhythm! When I was pregnant, I could feel his little fingers tapping against me. Even now, I can look over when he is sitting on their little couch and his little fingers will all be tapping in order. The piano and little juke box toys are his favorite to play with. He has always had a beat to dance to, loves anything musical and will dance or bop his head to any rhythm. If a song is on the tv, he stops what he is doing to run and watch it.


Not many words come out of his mouth, but he says so much through all his actions, expressions and body language. Wyatt has many different laughs. He has a little quiet chuckle for when we tickle him, his mischievous laugh when he is in cahoots with his brothers, and he has his "imitating mom and dad laughing" laugh. He will throw back his head with a "Ah-HA, ha ha". Or in a blink of an eye, he will turn his little head and back away to give us a defiant, "I want it this way" look. Wyatt climbs like a monkey up and down the couches, always reaching over to touch beads on the lampshade. He is quick to push the limits and tries to duck his head down as soon as he knows he has been seen.
From Wyatt's beautiful blue eyes to his crooked belly button, he is gorgeous from the inside out. He has got such a gentle good natured personality and loves to laugh. We are so blessed to have such a perfect addition to our family!

Time Flies

As of today, the boys are a little over twenty and a half months old. They're inching their way to be two years old (!) in just a few months. Officially not "babies" anymore, but now into toddler hood, walking (and running) around and so very curious about everything they see. I hear Jaxon look at things out the car window and he tries to ask what it is all called. Cars, trees, houses, airplanes, lights... I try to point it all out to them as we drive by, and I know they can now understand.

Attempting to get all my pictures of the past 18 months in order, I have been getting overwhelmed and have screeched to a stop. Where did it all go? When did we stop bottle feeding them and they held the bottles themselves? At what age did we put them in separate cribs, and how old were they when Don and I camped out in the living room with them for what seemed like months, with a towel blocking the light through the front door and CMT playing 24 hours non stop until we knew every song by heart? Why don't I remember when this all happened?

Looking at these pictures, I do remember how we used to have such a beautiful living room with a glass topped table from Bombay and a cute little ladder shelf unit from Pottery Barn. Our DVD player (nor television) had to be blocked with plexiglass to keep out little hands. We had a beautiful old Mexican trunk coffee table which has since been stuck in the corner between the two couches so children cannot get stuck or hurt if they climb from one couch to the other.

I am remembering when the babies had no teeth and I was sad to think of the day when teeth would ruin those perfect gummy smiles. And I had completely forgotten about their little fuzzy heads with barely any hair and such big cheeks!

It makes me sad to think of all that I have forgotten, and am now thankful that I have this blog. I never imagined how fast 18 months could go.

A Few of my Favorite Things..

* Hearing them laugh over the baby monitor

* Going in to check on them when they are sleeping

* How Luke looks at ears for earrings with such a curious face

* Driving on the freeway and all three sing "ahhhhh" to listen to their little voices vibrate over the bumps in the road.

* The way they find such joy in running up and down the tiny hill in the front of my parents house.

* Having all three sit with me to read a book

* To see them dance to a commercial jingle

* Baby soft skin and fresh baby smells after bath time

* When they walk backwards to come sit on our laps

* Watching them kiss each other and us

* Seeing them holding hands in the backseat

Organization

Organize, organize, organize. I feel like it is all I have been doing lately. Since I decided to scrapbook, I thought it would easier to begin scrapping about when the boys were born. So I have gotten out thousands of pictures (which I have always made sure we wrote the info on the back, thank goodness!) and am putting them in order. Even though I felt we were *pretty* organized before hand, actually putting them into the albums is a whole new ball game.

On top of having the actual pictures in hand, I am going through our "old" computer to transfer any pictures that I may have forgotten about in the past year. And we can't forget about all the discs I have the pictures on. Making sure they are all accounted for, then making labels and finding a book to put all of them in.
All of this, just so I can start to scrapbook.

In other organization... the other day my mom and I took picture of most of the boys clothes they have outgrown. I put the "triplicate" clothing for sale on a multiple website, for other triplet boys families to buy. They have flown right out of here and I have managed to make some money in the process. Woo Hoo!

So organization is a good thing when you don't have to buy tons of stuff to do it in a half way presentable way. Now, if we could just get motivated to vacuum our jeep out. I swear the boys drop their food on purpose so they could just reach around for a little cheerio or french fry when they are hungry.

New Hobby

I have recently discovered digital scrap booking. It has really forced me to figure out Adobe Photoshop and helped me take pictures differently, plus it gives me a chance to write out a memory, instead of just having the pictures. It has only been a couple weeks, but I think I'm hooked! To check out my work so far, click *here*.

Freedom!

Since the boys have been mobile, we've had a gate up in the living room to keep them in a safe baby-proof area. As they got a bit bored by the same four walls to play in, we sometimes adjust the gate to block off the kitchen and living room to give them a bit more space to run. They love exploring in the cabinets and drawers to find new gadgets they haven't touched yet.

Ever since Don let the boys run free in the backyard, we try to keep the backyard child friendly. Now that the weather is warming up lately, the boys have begun playing in the backyard more often, almost daily. This gives them the living room, kitchen, eating area and outside to play though in the mornings, up until time to eat lunch. If Don can find them a "treasure" of a picnic table, I would love to have them sit at one to eat their lunch on nice days.

They are so busy exploring in the backyard and since they have more room, there is much less fighting over toys. They play so well together outside. I heard Jaxon and Luke laughing hysterically and I peeked around the door to see them splashing water from their sippies all over the porch. It's just water, but they were having a blast figuring that out on their own. It is awesome to watch them be independent and go their own way, enjoying their freedom.

My Boys

To help you pretend that I haven't lost my header since switching over to the new blogger, I am going to distract you with brand new pictures of the boys taken while they we were all playing around tonight. I think these are my new favorite pictures of them...
Wyatt

Jaxon

Lucas

E-I-E-I-O

Well, the dance craze has hit our house. Thanks to Nana, Ring around the Rosie is at an all time high. The boys try to hold hands, Don or my mom will hold on one hand in each of theirs, and I'll stand behind the third one with my hands over his and we make it (sort of) work. Wyatt would do it a hundred times in a row if we would. When the adults decide we've had enough, Wyatt still sounds a bit of the song and falls again. The looks on all their faces are priceless when they know we are playing silly with them.

Another newly caught on song is Old MacDonald. Watch this video with your sound up, you can hear Wyatt singing to it as they dance.



And last, a video to show Luke and Wyatt have been growing closer. They used to just irritate one another more often than not, but lately they have really been enjoying each other and finding they have similar tastes in humor. Wyatt is entertaining Luke here.

Belly Laugh

I am procrastinating. I should be blogging since it hasn't been updated in a few days (or five) as Cathy keeps pointing out to me. But I have found a new creative outlet that I have been looking into and it has been creeping into my thoughts during down time. Or maybe I should be downstairs, sanding one of the seats to the kitchen table set we bought on Craigslist. This table and chairs are the second set we purchased to try to make our kitchen look larger to potential home buyers. We had bought another set long ago, but ended up selling it after it sat forgotten in the garage for months, sanded and ignored. This table has gone further, already been both sanded and stained. The seats -on the other hand- have not yet been sanded. They have thrown us for a curve with grooves on the seat stopping us from using the sanding belt on it, so we need a back up plan.

Don and I are both feeling yucky lately, stuffed noses have turned into coughs and throat clearing. My eyes keep watering and my throat hurts from some of the most obnoxious sneezes I have ever heard, let alone done.

But in the midst of all this, I have the sound of Lucas' belly laugh in my head. It is the funniest, most unexpected laugh from a generally deep in thought little man. Suddenly my throat doesn't hurt so much and a smile comes across my now awakened face. That belly laugh came to me when my energy and spirits are low and gave me just the push I needed to cross one more thing of my list.




It is a true gift from God, the joy that these babies bring me.

All about Jaxon

Jaxon is a stinker. Somehow even when he was only days old and less than 3 lbs, we knew he was going to be one to keep us on our toes. Some of his most troublesome habits include throwing toys at his brothers (with amazing ability to always hit their faces!), throwing his food on the floor, and admittedly funny is the awful grunt scream he and Wyatt sometimes do when they are hungry. But those little tidbits of devious behavior are forgotten when he flashes that Jaxon smile at us.


There has been a definite change in Jaxon's babbles around here. Although it is safe to say Jaxon has said words, they are all spin offs of words. He sticks to mainly the vowel sounds, calling my sister Leigha "eee-ya", her dog Jordan " Doh-Doh", airplanes are "aurrr" (repeatedly until we acknowledge, yes, Jaxon an airplane!) and balloons are "boons".

On the boys bedroom door, there is a little giraffe. After they say goodnight to the fishes on our screen saver, the say goodnight to the giraffe on the door. "Jzaaf". Today Jax brought a little giraffe to me and pointed to the giraffes eyes, trying to say eye, and then the same with the giraffes nose. So much is going on in his little mind, trying to remember what all the different things he sees are called.

His little mouth is full of teeth that he loves to have brushed. One of canines are already in, and another on its way. Everything that fits finds it way into Jax's mouth. Cars, toy airplanes, little sporks that came with their dish set, he loves to chew on books. It is to the point that Don fusses when I want to buy them a new book, knowing that chances are it will be eaten.

Cars and books are his passion right now. He loves to make siren sounds and even if he hears one for only a split second, he picks it up and imitates it. My brother Carl has always made siren sounds while we were growing up, so maybe it is in our boys genes. =) Little Chevron cars are his favorite, he loves to make car and truck (like a diesel sound) sounds as he pushes them around. If he hears a book being read out loud, he'll come over to sit on our lap and look at the pictures with us. My Grandma Bette got the boys pop up books for Christmas. Jaxon loves them, but when we open them up, he gets a little frightened of how it comes towards him and will walk backward away. I can tell he is a bit scared, even though he smiles.

Jaxon is so enthusiastic and animated, always a twinkle in his long lashed eyes and big smile on his face. His heart is right on his sleeve and his moods change as fast as he feels them. He loves his back rubbed or scratched, likes to hide his head in a dark spot on the floor and loves when we touch his face softly. His laugh is felt all though his body and is so contagious. He has the belly laugh of all belly laughs and it makes me smile just thinking about how pure his joy is. He is a beautiful baby, inside and out. From his spiked hair to the perfect baby belly that just pokes out, to his little funny sideways toenails, he is such a little imp and is always so curious. He's our Jaxon and I can't imagine him any other way. He is perfect!

Show Yourself!

Tack a pin where you live, (dare I push it and suggest leaving a picture, too) let's see who you are! At least leave your name people! I see some of my friends and relatives are visiting and are too shy to name themselves.... come on now, don't tease me!

Movies

Luke found an unopened breakfast bar. He got a little corner open and tried to snack on what he could reach. I love this movie because he sees me and says his version of momma, which comes out more of a "may-mee". Wyatt is trying to get some food too, they are sharing nicely here.


Yesterday I was at our desk and looked down to check on the boys. They were dancing away....


And last is Wyatt, still playing peek a boo. It never gets old to him.

Family in Town

My cousin Jennifer and her daughter Gracie had come to stay with us for a few days. They were in town with her mother, Jean who was staying at my moms house. Jennifer and I are very distant cousins. Her Grandmother is my Great Grandmothers sister in law. The two of us and our other cousins Annie and Katie grew up playing together. We are all within a few years of age of each other, along with my sister Leigha.

Anyhow, Grace is a little under four years old and the boys really took to her. They watched everything she does, how she plays, where she went, what toys she played with, etc. Jaxon loved Grace! But unfortunately for Grace, it was love expressed in the same way shared between second graders. Jaxon would get this huge smile on his face when he saw Grace- I swear I would even see a twinkle in his eyes. He'd start laughing hysterically walking towards her and then he'd pull on her pretty clothes or pull on her beautiful hair! He wouldn't do it and run, he would just wait and watch her like he was waiting for a hug!
Just for the record, we do not hit or pull hair in this house to show affection. in fact, we try to keep away from it in it's entirety. =)

Last night we went to theParis and had the best Crepes ever made. Cathy had turned Don and I on to them about a month ago and we have been itching for a reason to go and get some more. It was the boys first time having Crepes, and they loved them just as much as Don and I did! After dinner, we said our goodbyes to Jennifer, Gracie and Jean. They had plans to spend their last night in Vegas out on the town and were staying in a beautiful room on the Strip. It was a wonderful visit. She was a wonderful guest to have in our house and she is one of my most cherished friends.
Hopefully when Jaxon out grows his hair pulling stage, her children and mine will carry on our family's friendships.