Happy Halloween!

We had so much fun tonight. The kids really got into it this year and I had such a relaxing and fun night. We started out with some pizza for dinner with our friend Jane. Daddy had to go to school tonight so I called in some reinforcement so I did not have to do it all alone. We got the kids all dressed up and tried to take some good photos but they did not want any part of their picture being taken. I guess with three two year olds what do you expect.
We then headed out to some of the neighbor's houses. Everyone was really excited to see them. The first few houses the kids would not say anything but then once they got the hang of it they started to shout "Trick or treat"!
When we got back home "Auntie Jane" let them each have about 4 pieces of candy. They thought that was cool. Then Jane showed them how to throw the candy in the air and dance around so we all did that for awhile too.

Daddy surprised us and came home early from school so we got some time with him too.
As you can see in the pictures Aimee's eyes are really red and puffy. This is because she has pink eye right now and her eyes are sore. Poor thing. She still seemed to have a great time.
It was really fun and just what my heavy heart needed!

In Memory of Michael Larson 1965-2006

My blog has been quiet this past week. My cousin Michael unexpectectdly ended up having some significant problems with pnemonia and today he passed on.
This is very hard for me right now as Michael was one of my favorite people. I feel that we had a special bond and he always went out of his way to be so kind to me. When I was a child he lived with us for awhile and he would always take me to the movies and out to eat. He was so good to me all my life.
Michael was a wonderful musician and he played the piano and sang at my wedding. He did such an incredible job. He always took such pride in his music.


















I think I am most sad that I did not get a chance to say goodbye to him. He also never had a chance to meet my kids. I always just figured we would have time later for him to meet the kids. Life gets so busy that pretty soon all this time has gone by and you ask yourself where did it all go. This has been a good lesson to me to live in the moment and to keep in touch with your loved ones as much as possible.







I sent Michael an email a few months ago and attached some pictures of my kids to it. This was our last coorespondence to each other. This was his response to me:

Nicole- the pictures are totally adorable!!!!! Your children look like movie stars already and so intelligent and witty. Thank you so much for sending them to me. I'm so touched to have them. You are so blessed!!!!! I love you!!! Michael

I take comfort knowing that Michael is at peace and I pray that my heart gets a little lighter in days, weeks, months to come.

GATE FREE....

Gate Free...Well not totally as we still have one at the top of the stairs but it is mostly used to keep cats out at night when they decide they need attention at 3 am!
Yesterday when I got home from ECFE Jon came out of his office and asked me if we really need the big long gate up anymore? I thought about it and decided that no it really was just in the way so he (with help from the kids) took the gate down. One word to describe the feeling...HEAVEN. WOW! It feels great to have that small little piece of our house back. It really made a huge difference and it is nice to know that we do not need the gates anymore. The kids seem to enjoy the new freedom as well. It is easier for them to push their strollers and shopping cart around now. I guess we should have done this a few months ago but at least it is down now and we are all enjoying it!

Multi-tasking Queen!

Since I have become a mom to triplets I have really learned the art of multi-tasking! My mom took this picture this weekend when the girls wanted to play beauty shop (brush mommy's hair) and KJ wanted to read with me. This time it actually worked out well as I could read and let the girls play with my hair at the same time. However, one of the hardest parts about having triplets is when they all want me at the same time and they fight for my attention.

I feel that I do a good job to make sure I spend equal amounts of time with all of them. Jon and I try and take one with us on errands just so we can have some one on one time. I love when I get a chance to be out with just one of them. It is so much easier on me and I get to give that one child so much attention.

We have a lot of reading time on the couch were they all get to pick a book and we read all three books. They are pretty good about sharing my lap. I love those times of snuggling and reading.

I pray every day that these kids will grow up feeling that they are loved equally and that the treatment around here is fair. So far I feel Jon and I have done a pretty good job at this.

"Mickey House"

We have a new obsession in this house. His name is Mickey Mouse or as KJ likes to call him "Mickey House"! I bought KJ a large Mickey Mouse doll at the store on Saturday. Once I saw his reaction to the doll I knew we would not leave the store with out it. He was thrilled and it melted my heart. He just LOVES his new Mickey and it goes everywhere with him now..even to bed. The other night Mickey had to sit at the dinner table and have a bowl and a spoon too.

So we have been singing:

Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me?
M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!
Hey there, hi there, ho there, you're as welcome as can be.
M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!
Mickey Mouse! (Donald Duck!) Mickey Mouse! (Donald Duck!)
Forever let us hold his banner high, high, HIGH, HIGH!!
Come along and sing the song and join the jamboree.
M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!
He's our favorite Mouseketeer, we know you will agree.
M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!
Take some fun and mix in love, our happy recipe.
M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!
M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!

When we get done singing this all we get is "more mommy, sing more mommy, do it again"

To funny!

Sisters

When I first found out I was expecting triplets I secretly hoped

(on top of having three healthy babies) that they would be two boys and a girl.

I really thought that I was having all boys. I am not sure why but I guess

I just always truly thought that I would never have any girls.

So when the ultra sound technician told us that baby A was a girl I was in shock. Then you can imagine my surprise when she then told us that baby b was a girl. I remember looking over at Jon at that point and he was shuffling in his chair and I just smiled as I knew we was a little nervous about being out numbered. I still remind him that he is outnumbered as there are 3 females and 2 males in this house! :O)The girls have bonded from the start. They shared an isollett as the NICU was full and they needed the bed space for sick babies. I just love the two pictures above. It was really precious to see the girls snuggle together and I remember it making me feel a lot better about them being in there. If they only would of had one big enough so all three of them could have been together.

I never had a sister growing up but a great big brother. However, I realize now what a bond sisters can share. I am really excited for my girls to grow up together and experience so much together in life. I think that I would have loved to have had a sister the same age that I could talk to and share clothes with. Now I know that the girls won't always get along or even like each other but in the end I think they will look back and be so grateful for each other.

I tend to be such a girly girl that I think I understand now why God gave me two girls and a boy. I remember when I was pregnant one of my girlfriends told me that I was going to have girls and when I asked her why she said that she just could not picture it any other way. Aside from that she claimed that since I wore pink all the time (I love pink!) that I was growing girls in my belly.

At this point the girls leave K out of things a lot but I hope that as they get a little older they will learn to include him more. Jon and I have also discussed the possibility of having more children and although we are leaning towards not having any more children I do feel like it would be nice to give K a brother.

For now I am just so grateful for what I do have. Three wonderful, beautiful, and amazing children that continue to amaze us everyday.

To my girls. My hope to you is that you realize how blessed you are to have each other and a fabulous brother too!

Great Grandma Adele (AKA GG DEL)

This past weekend we drove up north 5 hours to visit my Grandma A or the kids Great Grandma A! We really had a fun time with her and she is such an amazing person. This weekend I could not help but think how lucky my kids are to get to know her and spend time with her. I sure hope that they will reach an age to be able to remember her someday. She is 84 and doing great. I swear she has more energy than I do. She remembers EVERYTHING... She just loves the babies. She calls them "our" babies and she is so patient and good with them and too them. When we first got there she told Jon and I to unload all the stuff and she would watch the kids. When we got done with that I went looking for them as she had them all outside. I found them walking down the side walk a block away all holding hands.

We had a great weekend of playing cards and watching the kids play on the big hill in her yard. The kids even got to practice their doctor skills on GG Del. They made sure that she is 100% healthy.

When we arrived at GG Del's I was not sure how the kids would act towards her as it had been a few months since we had seen her. I was thrilled when they ran right up to her and truly remembered her. They were so excited to see her again.
This last picture was right before we left and as you can see A did not want to say goodbye. We will see GG Del again over Thanksgiving and none of us can hardly wait. She is a true blessing and we are all glad she is in our lives.

My Baby C

K was baby C when we were pregnant. Initially we were told that Baby C did not have a good chance at making it as the embryo was smaller and odd shaped. Of course this really freaked Jon and I out until we met with the specialist and she told us all was normal. Sometimes I will still think about that and I am so grateful all was fine with K as I could not imagine life without my baby boy! I feel so lucky to be able to experience raising both a boy and girls. K is definitely different than his sisters but he depends on them so much.


K was a good baby and always willing to smile for the camera. He was the first of the three that I ever held. I will never forget that moment when they placed him in my arms and I thought he was perfect in every way. I just could not believe that aside from that perfect little baby boy I also had two perfect little baby girls. WOW! I realize now more than I even did then what a true miracle from God.



I used to call K my budder boo but my dad (Grandpa A) grew up with a nick name he did not care for so he put an end to that quickly. Now I just call him my buddy! K is a sensitive little boy. I am not sure if that is because he has two sisters or if it is just his nature. Jon claims he is going to toughen him up. I just laugh.





K is the most talkative of the three. He really likes to talk and LOUD. The other night we were driving home from a play date with another triplet family. K was pretty wound up so he was talking really loud. Jon told the kids to close their eyes and relax. So the van got really quiet for about 5 seconds and then K exclaimed in a loud voice..."I did it daddy, I did it" . Jon and I just laughed. K loves to do something for himself these days like put on his coat or walk up the stairs and then he claims...I did it myself,I did it. It is pretty cute.
It amazes Jon and I the differences between raising boys and girls. It is funny to me how I have not influenced these kids one way or another but K is much more interested in playing with cars, trains, ball and bat, and other boy toys. The girls much prefer their babies and the kitchen. K is all boy in everything he does. He loves to play with a ball and bat and I just bought him a pair of hockey skates so he can try that out this winter. (don't' worry I got the girls some too!)

K is a true joy to have as my son. What a sweet, sensitive, and cute little boy. He has such a gentle soul and really thrives on being a good boy. I am so blessed to have him as my son. Naturally as his Mother, I really feel that some woman is going to be so lucky to have him as a husband some day. I mean with two sisters and a mom. How could he not be a ladies man and over all just a good ole Gentleman! God sure has been good to me to give me such a sweet and handsome little boy.

My Baby B

E was our baby "b" when we were pregnant and she lived on my left side. In the end of my pregnancy she was the source of a lot of my discomfort as her little head was in my rib cage. At one of my appointments the ultra sound tech told me that it was her little head that was causing me pain and she also told me to watch out as this baby was going to be my challenge. E was a challenge as a baby she came out the smallest but the feistiest. She always wanted attention and this factor along with being the smallest baby she became a lot of the volunteers "Favorite" as she always wanted to be held.

E has now become my little peace maker around here. The tables have turned and she is now the most easy going of the bunch. She often will give her toys up to her brother or sister if they want them. She is also the real animal lover. She loves her kitties and often tries to pet them but is unsuccessful as they swat at her. She has been talking about puppy's a lot lately and keeps telling me "Mommy, I wanna a puppy" and the other day she said "Mommy, I wanna puppy so I can walk him on a leash". WOW, I had not idea she even knew what a leash was. Jon might have something to do with this puppy obsession as he really wants a puppy too.






E also has a creative side to her. Whenever we sit down to draw or color she is always at it the longest. She really loves to color everything on the picture instead of just one little area. When we were at ECFE yesterday she spent most of the time painting and doing the other craft of the day.



E has always been a daddies girl. She LOVES to snuggle with her daddy and she really likes to lay on his chest and take a nap. Jon loves this equally as much. It is a precious site to see. E also loves her dollies and stuffed animals. She just got a little stuff puppy that is the favorite of the month and she has to take it to bed with her every night. The other night I watched her lay there with her head on her arm and she was petting her new little stuffed puppy. It was pretty cute. When we go get her out of her crib in the morning she always has her arms full of stuffed animals. She wants to get all of them up with her. The other day I noticed that when I was changing her sheets she has 3 times the number of dolls or stuffed animals in her crib. I wonder how that happens.

One more thing I would like to mention about E. She is the dare devil of the group. This girl has very little fear in her and sometimes it scares me but I was not like that at all so I am excited to see where it will lead her. She will climb to the highest slides a the play ground and go down them laughing the whole way.






E has such a kind spirit and she is so full of life. She is such a fun little girl who is so adventurous. I love her zest for life and I hope she has that with her always. She is an awesome gift from God and I have no idea how I ever got so lucky to have her as my very own.

My Baby A

A was our baby "A" when we were pregnant. She was the first for everything and of course she was born first so that makes her the oldest! Jon named A after my maiden name. Aimee gets her middle name from my great aunt who past away a year before she was born. She was such an incredible person so I felt compelled to use her name for one of my children.
In the beginning Aimee was such a good baby. We called her Angel baby as she hardly ever cried. We sometime felt sorry for her as her brother and sister were always demanding so much more attention but we always felt so blessed to have such an easy baby especially since we had three!






It is hard to believe as A was such a quiet baby, but she is now the leader of the pack! A knows what she wants and stops at nothing to get it. This is a great trait to have but very challenging when you are two and you need to share everything with your triplet brother and sister. The other two really look up to her and they always want to know what A is doing. I am told that A and I are just alike. That might explain why we are already butting heads and she is only two! Naturally, I think she is darn lucky to be just like me. :O)



A is my little snuggler. She loves to sit on your lap and snuggle. I really like these times I get with her. I also notice that this is one of the things I miss most when I am away.
A is also my little mommy. She loves to rock, feed, change, and sing to her babies. She loves to help me when I am changing K or E.



















A is also my little cleaner up'er. She is usually the one who is picking up the toys or the mess that we have created. She loves praise so as long as I tell her what a good girl she is she will continue to clean up as she really likes to feel appreciated. (hmmm, I wonder where she gets that from! ha ha)
Lately, A has been walking around the house singing her own little songs. She has been in an exceptionally great mood these past few weeks. The other day I was in the kitchen cleaning up while they were sitting at the counter eating their breakfast. I sneezed and A shouted out at me "God Bless You, Mommy"! I could not believe my ears. WOW! That is definitely one of my favorite mom moments so far. I was just floored. I asked her what she said and she smiled and giggled. It was pretty cool.



Having A for a daughter is a true joy! I love her with all my might! What a true blessing from God this child is. She is so much like me that I know I have my work cut out for me but I know this little girl is going to go far in life. I am just excited for the journey.

We LOVE ducks!

We found a park by our house that has a big dock over a pond (toddler safe) and there are a ton of ducks that live on the pond. The kids love to go down and feed the ducks. We have been there so much that when we arrive the ducks come over to us right away before we even throw any food out.

Above is a picture of my friend K who also has triplets! We get together a lot with K and her triplets E, J, and M. They are 3 months older than A, E, and K. As you can see feeding the ducks is big hit with all of them!

School on Fridays

After much debate Jon and I decided to enroll the kids in a daycare for Fridays. We call it "school" around here and we bought the kids new backpacks to take to school with them. It is so cute to watch them march around the house with their new backpacks on. They are so proud. They always want you to fill their backpacks up with toys. One day E wanted so much stuff in her backpack that she almost fell over backwards. It is really cute. Of course for school we put their blankets and binkers in their bags so they have them for nap time.

Last Friday was there first day of school. Unfortunately K was not able to attend as he had a high fever. We took the picture above as the girls and daddy were off to school. Of course K did not want to be left out. I LOVE this picture and I just had to share. We are hoping that everyone is healthy on this coming Friday so they can all go to school together.

Monkey Business!

Each year our church has a fall festival that has tons of food, music, games, and rides. To start the festival off they always have a parade every year. We have entered the kids in the parade for the last three years.


The first year we did it the kids were 3 months old and we dressed them as Three Peas in a pod.

Last year we dressed them up as the three little pigs. We took second place last year and I was told that we got second instead of 1st because people complained that we could not win it two years in a row!

This year we were Monkey Business! They dressed up as monkeys and we decorated their wagon! We played the Curious George sound track as we walked in the parade. It was a lot of fun and the kids really got into throwing the candy to everyone. They also like to make the monkey sounds saying who, who, who ,who over and over again. It was pretty cute! We won 1st place again! I could not believe it but I can say now that I have bragging rights!