Race Cars

K is our child that really gets into things. I think his first obsession was the Wiggles. He was so hooked on the Wiggles that we could not even say the word in front of him or he would cry to watch it.

His next "joy"was Elmo. All three really liked Elmo so we watched Elmo's world around here for awhile.

Next we moved into the Little People Videos. These were my

personal favorite as they were easy to listen to and just so sweet. K loved these videos.

More recently he has been hooked on Mickey "House" so for Christmas he received a bunch of Mickey Mouse stuff. They all still like the Mickey Mouse stuff and we have been watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse a ton.

K new joy is Race Cars. Grandma E bought him a shake n go race track for Christmas and we have changed the batteries out on that thing at least 4 times since Monday. He LOVES it. So when the family was here for Christmas, K watched his cousin E's Cars movie one night. Ever since he has been asking to watch Race Cars about 100 times a day.

So low and behold, since we have not opened gifts with my family yet, Grandma M went out and bought the Cars movie for K so now he can watch Race Cars. The only problem with this is that the girls do not have any interest in it. Thank God for two TVs as they get to watch TV before they go to bed every night.

Here is a picture of K with his cousin E in their "Cars" outfits.

St. Anthony Part II

So my mom has been here all morning helping me with the kids and also helping to get some stuff cleaned up around here. She was doing my laundry for me bless her heart, and she went to put sheets away where they belong and what do you think she found.....the gifts I was looking for last night. Now I swear I looked in those drawers at least three times for these gifts. Oh well at least they are found and now I can stop looking. That St. Anthony is darn good!

St. Anthony

So I have been missing my wedding ring since Labor Day. I took it off when Jon and I went camping so I would not lose it camping and we knew it came home with us but we could not find it anywhere. We had a delivery guy in our house that same week we got home so we thought that maybe he had taken it but we would never accuse anyone with out being sure.

I have been so bummed out about this as I knew Jon took a lot of time picking out my diamond and it meant a lot to me. So for Christmas when Jon asked me what I would like I told him a new diamond. So he went out and picked out a new diamond for me and it is beautiful but for some reason when I opened it up I just did not feel right about it.

When I was laying in the hospital with a lot of time to think I remember I prayed really hard to St. Anthony to find me ring. I just felt like it was such a waste to get a new one even if it was covered by the insurance. When I got home I did not think much more about it and I was trying to fall in love with my new diamond ring. Until last night....

I was cleaning out the closet looking for something else that I have misplaced when all of a sudden I looked down and in between my shoe rack and another bin lay my watch and my wedding ring. I think I stopped breathing.... I got up and brought the ring downstairs and dangled it in front of Jon's face. He could not believe it. We both thought that ring was long gone. So Jon is going to take the new diamond back to the store. We are sure this diamond will make someone else happy some day but for me I am just so grateful I found my wedding ring again! St. Anthony works Miracles, now if I could just find that gift!

Transition # 1 Complete

So I have been telling people that we have three big transitions to do with the kids after the 1st of the year. The big switch from cribs to bed, potty training, and as we tried earlier getting rid of binkers.

Since I am not able to lift the kids for a period of time due to the surgery, yesterday, we made the decision to transfer them to toddler beds. I just held my breath as I was not sure and a little uneasy about how it would all work out. I have heard horror stories from lots of multiple moms about this transition.

However, I am happy to report (knock on wood) that we have been through one nap period and the through the night with no problems. They are very proud of their big beds. They have all taken turns sneaking upstairs in the past day to lay on their new beds. It felt great to take their cribs down and pack them up. Although, I have to say that it was bittersweet as my babies are not really my babies anymore as they are getting to be my big kids.

In fact, the other day I called one of them baby and my nephew who is 6 informed me "they are not babies anymore Aunt Nicole". I told him that they are my babies! So as much as I want to hold on to time and take in everything I can, they will always keep growing and changing. They will continue to amaze us everyday and for that we are so grateful.

So one transition down and two to go. Hopefully the next two will go as easy as this one has gone. Sweet dreams!

MOST WONDERFUL TIME....

We had so much fun yesterday! From the minute we woke up it was a blast. The kids were really excited about what Santa brought and then the whole family moved into the living room to open up other gifts. I kept reminding them that it was so nice that Baby Jesus shared his birthday with us and they all agreed.

Here is a picture of all of us before we sang Happy Birthday to baby Jesus! Big thanks for Grandma E for making the cake! As you can see K was ready to eat...

So I am struggling a bit with this laying around and recovering thing....

I am the type of person that is always going 500 MPH at everything. This has been challenging for me to be in the hospital and now at home with a million things going on and having to have everyone else take care of it for me. When I think about what happened with being sick, it truly was perfect timing. I mean we were getting ready to leave town for the holidays and so I could have gotten sick on the road. I had just finished my Master's the week before so it could have interfered with getting that complete so as I said, it was perfect timing. God has a way to make things work out and I have to say that his timing on this one was perfect. The more I think about it I come to the conclusion that this is a sign to me that I need to SLOW DOWN! So for now I am going to take it easy and be the QUEEN around here so I can get some rest and I can come back with a vengeance when the time it right.

Guess What I Got For Christmas.....

An Appendicitis!

I was feeling a little funky all last week so I decided I better go to the doctor on Thursday and at that point everything looked normal but he wanted me to come back for a CT Scan on Friday morning. I was not thrilled about the idea as we were trying to get ready to leave town that day and I was supposed to be at work. However, he convinced me to come back so I did. Good thing as my appendix was twice going on three times the size it was supposed to be. They wanted me to get in an ambulance and go straight to the hospital but I told them I would drive myself as I wanted to go get my mom so she could come with me.

Anyway, to make a long story short this has been brewing for awhile and I really haven’t felt that great but I have been so busy with school, work, and kids that I just ignored it. So as much as it stinks that I have to deal with this over the holidays I am grateful that it happened when it did and it was not more serious that it could have been if I had waited any longer.

The good news is that instead of us going to see the family the family has now come to us. I feel fine, a little sore and I am sad that I can’t pick up my kids for awhile but very grateful that everything has worked out fine.

God bless and Merry Christmas!

A Joyus Season!

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with family and friends. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from this season!

I love this picture of the kids laughing!

Sickness...

We have had a week full of sickness around here. It is nothing to serious just bad colds and ear infections but it does make life around this house a little more crazy. I took A to the doctor tonight and she was also put on the same antibiotic that the other two were put on on Monday so hopefully we will all be feeling great by the weekend and for the Christmas Holiday.
A has a big fear of the doctor because the last time she went she had her flu shot. So all day today whenever I would mention the doctor A would say "I happy now mommy, I happy" Poor thing was scared to death to go to the doctor so she thought that if she acted "happy" she would not have to go. It was really sweet watching her try to be happy when really she felt horrible. She is now in bed sleeping full of meds so hopefully she will sleep all night.

Master of Project Management!

Okay so I might not be a Master of Project Management but I do have a Master’s in Project Management. I finished my final presentation to the board at school this evening at approximately 7 PM. Once it was complete I was numb! I just sat there and did not feel anything. This is something that has been on my mind for a long time and like my mother-in-law stated to me today in an email, another chapter in my life has been completed.
I have to say that I am very proud of myself and this accomplishment. I am not the “school” type so I am thrilled that I have obtained a Master’s Degree. I also feel like this sets a great example to my kids for their future educations. Also, I am the first person in my family to obtain a degree like this. To me that is very exciting.
So tonight I went out with my classmates for a very large mug of beer and it was great to celebrate with the people who have been in the drenches with me.
Graduation is in January and I look forward to the day that I get “hooded”!

Sweet Boy

K is a very sensitive and sweet little boy. Lately, we have been taking the kids out for a drive at night so we can see all of the houses with lights. The other night we were out driving around and every time Jon would drive by a house with lots of lights K would say "Thank you Daddy" or "Good Job, Daddy". It was pretty cute.

K loves to hold his sisters hands and he also loves to give hugs. He is not a snuggler like the girls unless he is tired. He is starting to demand more attention from mommy often grabbing my hands and walking me somewhere with him. He is a keeper! :O)

In Trouble Already!!!

This afternoon the girls got up early from their nap. I should say E got up early from her nap and proceeded to yell A's name at the top of her lungs until A woke up too! Anyway, they were helping me with the laundry so I would have them match the socks and then put the folded clothes in to the basket. This was actually more work for me but they thought they were such big girls helping me out.

To get to the point of my story I held up the Yellow pair of footed PJ's and asked who's they were. E immediately screamed "MINE" (Her favorite color is yellow so naturally anything yellow is hers). A said "NO MINE" and they proceed to shout at each other for at least a minute. I had a vision into the future about them fighting over clothes, boys, shoes, etc.. YIKES!

The Tale of Three Elves

When the babies were 6 months old, our friend Sue gave us a picture/story book about the babies. It includes both of our cats T & D and the babies. There are pictures of our house, the kids, and the cats.

It is really cute and the kids just love to look at it and exclaim
"look mommy its our house" of "look mommy Ella is sad" as there is a picture of Ella crying in the book.

I thought I would share the story with all of you!

The Tale of Three Elves By Sue H

Twas the night before Christmas, when quiet as a mouse, Three elves were all busy, cleaning the house. The dusting was done by the girls with great care....While K was vacuuming up all the cat hair.

The parents were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sleep filled nights danced in their heads.

With K in his toque and each girl with a cap, they danced in the kitchen to a lyrical rap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, They sprang to their dance to see what was the matter. Away to the window they flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave the luster of mid-day to the objects below, When what to the wondering eyes should appear, But T and D , dressed up like Reindeer!

Pouncing about so lively and quick, We thought in a moment they all would be sick.

More rapid than eagles they finally came, When A called them, loudly, by name.

"T , D , get in this house now, before mom wakes up and has a cow.

To the top of the porch to the top of the wall, Get into this house and don't you dare fall!"

Then in a twinkling they heard on the roof, the two big cats that were part of this spoof. As K and A and E turned around, Down the chimney came T with a leap and a bound.

He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot, and D came next, bringing ashes and soot.

A bundle of toys T had put in a sack, and said "give me a treat or you won't get these back!"

His eyes-how they twinkled! His whiskers so merry, but he really wasn't kidding so those elves did not tarry.

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow and his whiskers were covered with white from the snow.

The tip of Jon's shoe he held tight in his teeth, The laces encircled his head like a wreath. He had a broad face and a little round belly, that shook when he laughed like a bowl full if jelly.

He was chubby and plump and all full of himself, when he looked right at the 3rd and smallest Elf...A wink of his eye and twist of his head, Soon E was crying with fright and with dread!

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, which is napping and sleeping the poor little jerk. And curling up along side of his toes, was D all sleepy with a very cold nose.

So K the brave, gave a loud whistle, and the cats flew down the hall like a rocket, or missile. And being good elves, they hid out of sight, saying "Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

Funny Comments...

We have had a lot of funny comments lately from the kids so I decided that it was time to share some of them:

1. E told Jon tonight after he picked the kids up from Grandma's; "Daddy, I wanna get in my car so I can go to town and get some cash" Jon and I both find this funny because we live in the city and we never talk about going to "town"

2. When I got home from work tonight here is what E told me "Mommy, Meme (A) has hard poopies"

3. First I would like to say that my mom's name is Mary so the kids have a Grandma Mary. We have been talking a lot about Baby Jesus and who his mommy and daddy are and all about the three wise men and the angel. Anyway, the other day I asked A who Baby Jesus mommy was and is a loud voice she exclaimed: "Gamma"! I guess when I think about it I can see how it could be confusing but non the less I had a good chuckle about this one.

4. The other day Jon was going to run some errands and I suggested that he take one of the kids with him for some one on one time. So he picked K to go. The girls were not happy with this so they were throwing a fit about that fact that they did not get to go. K then started a little dance and was singing "Kgo with daddy, meme and e stay home"!

Little Ladies

These little girls are already turning into Little Ladies. They love to pretend they are like mommy! They like to carry purses and babies. They love to talk on the pretend cell phone having an adult conversation about who knows what. It is especially cute when they hold the phone between there ear and their shoulder with no hands. They love to rock the baby and the other day E said "shh mommy my baby is sleeping"

It is amazing to me how fast these little girls are growing up. It is so sweet to watch them interact. The other day I was in the kitchen and I heard E ask A "MeMe are you pooping?" to which A replied "no E just wet"! They are also fascinated with looking at each others poopies now too. So when it is time to change someone the other will come running saying I wanna see Meme's (E's) big poopie. I think we are close to potty training.

I am jealous of the relationship they get to have as sisters. They are so lucky to have each other and I am so lucky to have them as daughters. (Just to be fair I am very lucky to have my little boy too!)

Funny Story...

So the kids went over to Sue's house the other night as I had a dentist appointment and Jon was out of town. Sue is the mother to one of my very good friends. Sue is really the "baby whisperer" and has helped us out ever since we brought these munchkins home. Sue is incredible with kids and has taught me a lot about how to be a good mother.
Sue was having the kids help her unwrap Hersey Kisses for some Christmas Cookies. K kept repeating that he was "helping Sue make cookies" over and over. Sue walked into the next room to put some lights on her tree and she said all of a sudden it got very quiet in the kitchen. When she walked back into the kitchen K had chocolate all over his face and E was chewing something as well as they had been eating the Hershey Kisses. Sue asked in a stern voice..."who is eating Sue's candy"? K sheepishly raised his hand and then broke out in tears immediately. E quickly took the kiss she was eating and threw it in the bowl with all the other kisses like she was not doing anything!

17 Days!

This is what I have left until I finish my Master's Degree in Project Management! I cannot wait to be done with this Paper writing and studying business. Then I can get focused on more important things like my kids and hopefully get some relaxation time. I would love to just be able to read a good book! So I am taking a break from writing my paper to show you the piles of books and papers I have spread out on my dining room table (my desk)! Yikes, I can't wait to box all this stuff up! 17 Days or 408 hours to be exact but really who's counting?! :O)

Singing Snowmen!

I had to share this funny story. This past weekend we headed up to North for my Cousin Micheal's Funeral. On Saturday night we reserved the back room at one of the restaurants in town. We arrived first and there was a really cute snowman that was bigger than the kids. As you can see from these pictures they all LOVED the snowman. They were hugging him and kissing him.
Then I noticed a cord behind the snowman so I decided to plug it in to see what would happen. The snowman came to life singing and dancing to "Frosty the Snowman" and I had three 2 year olds screaming out of fear of this singing and moving Snowman. Luckily I had Jon and Grandma there with me to help settle the kids down. I also hid the plug so no one else would turn it on. The kids definitely kept their distance from Frosty after that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

WOW, it is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already here. I swear it was just New Years 2006 a few weeks ago. I have so much to be thankful for this year. Three incredible healthy, smart, and witty children; a husband who loves me unconditionally no matter what; Parents that are so supportive of me and my family; A grandmother who is still healthy and recovered well from her surgery and breast cancer; In Laws who travel from afar to help us out when we are in need; a brother who loves the kids just as much as if they were his own; health and happiness for myself, the kids, and Jon; and many many friends who love an support all of the Erickson Five.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Comments....

So I typically try to be an upbeat and positive person. However, sometimes things can get to me like stupid and rude comments about my three precious blessings. As you can imagine Triplets can attract a lot of attention when you are out in public. Especially if you have their stroller or cho cho wagon with you.
Yesterday, we were in the New Trader Joe's store that opened up in the twin cities area. It is a small store and for some reason it was very busy on a mid Monday Morning. Two older women stopped GG Del and myself to admire the kids. When this type of thing happens I usually have all the kids say hi just to distract them (kids) from noticing people starring at us. These women were complimenting me on what a great job I have done as a triplet mom and how busy I must be, blah blah blah. Then a husband to one of these ladies walked up and looked at me and said..."Triplets?" I said yes they are and I smiled and in turn he said to me "you should of had three girls"! WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I looked him straight in the eyes and told him I am grateful for what I do have and that I am lucky to have three healthy babies that happen to be two girls and a boy!
People can be so rude.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star....

Today we went in for our annual Family picture. It is always a lot work and sweat to get three 2 year olds to sit nice for a picture. E was a champ she not only sat where we told her to but she also smiled on command. A would sit where she was supposed to but would not smile. K would not sit where we was supposed too. However, 2.5 hours later we left and we did end up getting a great photo of the family and also wonderful pictures of all three together and separate.
On the way home I had GG Del and Grandma in the car with me. Grandma wanted to stop at the Grocery store so she ran in and we just waited in the van. Out of nowhere K started to sing in a very loud voice...Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! He knew all the words and he even sang the song the right way. It was pretty good and very surprising as he is usually the one who shows the least interest at music class. Just wanted to share. I guess they really do get a lot out of music class even if it does not appear that way.

November... the Drama Month!

We had more drama today in our family. We had an exciting but challenging morning trying to get ready to go to lunch with Grandma (my mom), GG Del (Great Grandma), and my brother. We finally made it out the door and we all had a wonderful lunch together.
Then an hour later we had put the kids down for a nap at Grandma's house and I headed home to get some laundry done and write the eulogy for my cousin Michael's funeral on Saturday. I was half way home and my mom called in a panic for me to turn around...my brother's work called and they told my mom to get to the hospital as my brother was short on breath and his chest was tight so they send him to the hospital in an ambulance. I turned the van around called Jon and told him to get to my mom's house to be with my grandma (GG DEL) so I could take my mom to the hospital. Once we got back to see T (brother) he was pretty upset and freaked out. They monitored him for about 4 hours so I sat with him to keep him company. To make a long story short, he had a reaction to some medication that he was taking and it caused him to have heart attack like symptoms. SCARY!
Situations like this really make you think twice about your life and the value of it. I feel like God has been giving me a lot of messages lately about living life to the fullest. So here is a picture of T...hopefully, he will never have to go through a situation like that again!

Company is Always Good!

We have been spoiled this past week with Grandma & Grandpa E here for a visit. It is always so nice to have two extra sets of hands in the house to help with the kids. Plus the laundry gets done by someone else but me! :O) I have to say too that we always eat better meals when we have Grandma and Grandpa here too!
So to two of my biggest "Blog" fans...thanks for a great week and being so good to all of us. Please come again soon!

Operation Remove Wubba Nub...FAILED!

I am sad to report that the attempt to get rid of the Binkers failed! They were doing great until a half hour into nap time when they all woke up screaming for it. When you have three 2 inconsolable 2 year olds it is not fun and very heart wrenching. So we gave the binkers back. We will have to try again another day!

Our Doggies & a Duck

When the kids were born the immediately got pacifiers as they hoped this would help them to learn how to "suck". Since they were born at 33 Weeks 5 Days they had not yet learned this simple task. These pacifiers were very big for them at the time and it was hard for them as premature babies to keep these in their mouths. So I did a little research and found these AWESOME wubba nub pacifiers. These worked great as they helped keep the pacifiers in their mouths and it was less crying for all of us. These little wubba nubs were a huge life saver in the beginning.
However, I quickly learned that we would need to have extra of these since they could get lost. There was the time that I had taken E to Target with me to pick up a prescription and she had dropped it somewhere in the store so I then spent an hour looking for it as I was afraid what would happen if we did not have it. It was at this point that I decided that these would stay in their beds and they could only have them at home. Then there was the time when they got a little older and they would chew on them and the plastic would start to wear so Grandma A got great at replacing the binker part of the dog and duck. At one point Jon and I had decided that we were going to take them away. The next time they "broke" (needed fixing) we were just going to cut the binker part off and they could have the dog/duck. This was a great idea until it happened and Aimee started to hyperventlate because she did not have her dog. Clearly she was not ready to part with it so we have continued to fix these things.
Until today....Grandma and Grandpa E arrived last night for a week long visit. When we were getting ready for bed last night Grandma had a talk with the Girls (K wanted no part of it) about giving the binkers to the babies who needed them. She told them that we would go pick out new doggies/ducky that we could snuggle with under our arms instead of ones we put in our mouth. This morning we had all three carry their binkers downstairs and put them in the box to send to the babies. Then we headed out to the mall and picked out new doggies. We talked it up big time.
Well when we got home we made a big production about taking our new doggies to bed with us. Things were going great until K started to cry and then the girls started to cry. Daddy and Grandma comforted them and I had to step out as I was crying too. It is hard to take something away from your child that they use to comfort themselves. However, these pacifiers are not healthy and they do need to go. Their teeth are affected by them and just the bacteria on these things alone is not healthy. So it is nap time and we all stayed strong and all the kids are asleep w/out their binkers!!!! Now we will see what bed time brings. Wish us all luck!

Off To The Races

We had a wonderful warm day here in Minnesota yesterday! It was in the 70's and that is really unusual for this time of year. The kids really enjoyed being outside with no hats, mittens, or even boots on. It really gets dark early now since the time change a few weeks ago.
Jon and I were out on our patio last night with the kids and we decided to give them some more space with their cars so we took them out into our cul de sac.

THEY LOVE IT!

They all raced down to the end of the block and then raced back. It was a lot of fun and it got a ton of energy out of them. This is always important!

Holiday Photo Shoot

So last night the idea popped into my head to put the Christmas Jammies on the kids and try and get some good photos. I was surprised how into it the kids got. I ended up getting three shots that I LOVED and now I am having trouble deciding which one to use for my Christmas photos. Jon can't decide either. I am thrilled that I was able to get some good pictures of all the kids sitting together. For three 2 year olds that is pretty good. Anyway, I kept pushing them to do more things and in the end they started to get a little crabby so I bribed them with suckers. I guess a mom has to do what a mom has to do.

What a week!

It has been a crazy and hectic week around here. All three kids had the stomach flu, A had a really bad case of pink eye, I had a paper due on Friday and a presentation for school this morning. Jon was out of town! Yikes...My motto this week as been what doesn't kill me only makes me stronger.
So for an update: All three kids seem to be on the mend. Jon stayed home with them yesterday as I had to go to work but he did a great job of nursing them back to health. Now we just need to break the middle of the night "I need you mommy & daddy" cries that have developed with the sickness we have had.
I am off to school this morning to give my presentation and then Jon is off to school this afternoon for the lab class he has to take. The good news is that tonight Jon and I get a date. Some much needed time together.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from this week:

Pumpkin Party

Last weekend we went to a pumpkin carving party. Jon was out of town so it was just me and the kids. I had a lot of help though as it was at one of my bestest friends Mothers house and she and her mom just adore my kids.

So as you can see from the pictures. I did most of the cleaning of the pumpkins as the girls did not like to touch the "yucky" stuff. K lost all interest and went and played with the cars instead.

Since I did not know how the kids would react to carving pumpkins I purchased three small pumpkins for .99 each. It worked out perfect.

Here are all the finished pumpkins from the party. We have the small ones on the right. E wanted a scary face, A wanted a happy face, and K wanted a sad face (we did surprised).

This year Halloween was a lot of fun. The kids really got into the Holiday and they loved to walk over to the neighbors house on a daily basis as they have two large blow up pumpkins and a large blow up ghost. This holiday has really made me feel so blessed to have triplets. It is three times the fun and excitement. I am really excited for the holidays and to get a Christmas tree and all the lights.