Daddy the Money Machine

The other day at lunch A was telling us that she was going to buy herself an American Girl doll with all the money she had in her piggy bank. Since her bank consists of mostly pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, we knew that she was no where near ready to buy herself and American Girl Doll. Jon took this as an opportunity to teach the kids about money. Everyone went and grabbed their piggy banks and that is when the lesson started.
I am not sure what the kids took away from the table that day but they sure had a good time counting out they change. When I was a little girl, I clearly remember the first lesson I had in money. I asked my parents for a new pair of ice skates and when my dad told me that to buy a pair of ice skates I would need a truck load of pennies I remember just being so amazed!
I wonder if these kids will remember their first lesson on money?!?!? One thing is for sure, A knows that she needs to save up a lot more money before she can buy herself an American Girl Doll!

Wordless Wednesday~Triple the Triplets

A Sore Throat

This past weekend K got sick with a fever and he told me the bottom of his mouth hurt. After 24 hours of a fever and not feeling so good we thought it might be a good idea to get him checked out. Much to my surprise, he has strep throat. Poor little guy. I guess it is very contagious for the first 24 hours so we have been bracing ourselves to see if it will show up in someone else around here. So far so good.
The girls slept over at Grandma Mary's on Saturday night. K was supposed to sleep there too so Jon and I could have a date night but since he was not feeling so great we decided it was only fair to keep him at home in his own bed so we went out for an hour and then brought K back to his own bed.
After we found out it was Strep on Sunday, Grandma decided it would be best to keep the girls away. She had them all morning and then they were invited over to Sue's house for the afternoon. Sue likes to read books to the kids when they are there so on Sunday she was reading them a book. She was so impressed that they were sitting so still and listening so well. Then her daughter kristin took this picture...both girls were sound asleep. We all had a good laugh about this one.
The good news is that K is feeling much better and life is back to the norm around here. Now if we can all just hold out and stay healthy!

4 Going on 14!

Grandma Mary was over one morning last week watching the kids so I could go to a much needed Doctor appointment. One of K's little friends was going to come over to play that morning and the friends mom was fine with dropping him off while Grandma Mary was here so he was still able to come over. Grandma reported that E picked out a fancy outfit and then E asked Grandma to fix up here hair. She was all dolled up for the day.
Soon after E was finished prepping for the day, Grandma announced that K's friend had arrived. She said A tore down the stairs with her hair a mess and E tore into the bathroom, jumped up on the stool checked out her teeth and then her hair and then tore downstairs to say hi to K's friend. Grandma said it was all she could do not to laugh and little miss E. WOW...we are 4 going on 14 in this house. I had no idea it started that young!

Bunk Beds

Jon and I decided awhile ago that it might be a good idea to get the girls some bunk beds. We were just so tired of trying to squeeze two beds and all their other things into their room. So last week after finding a good deal on C-list we have bunk beds.
The funny thing is that K was more excited about the bunk beds than either of the girls. He has slept up top a few nights since we have set them up and he loves the bunk beds. It is a sure sign that one day we might need to get him his very own set of bunk beds. The girls have been taking turns sleeping on the top bunk so that has been working out nicely. My only complaint is that the top bunk really makes it hard to make the bed!
It feels great to have some more space in the girls room. For lack of having a good picture here is one from the factory. Our beds came with the underneath trundle/storage piece as well and we really like this option. We can use it in the future as an additional bed or as we are using it now for storage. It is nice to have.

Wordless Wednesday~Bulldog Fans

Wordless Wednsday ~ Oh How They Have Grown

Evidence of the Bunny

So this morning when we all woke up we realized rather quickly that the Easter Bunny had been here. It had nothing to do with the huge baskets of goodies on the counter but everything to do with the bunny poop on the floor. The kids went crazy when they saw that and have told everyone we ran into so far today that the bunny pooped on the floor!
The kids found all of the hidden Easter eggs. THANK GOODNESS because that can get stinky if they are not found. I know that from personal experience when I was a small child. They were thrilled that the Easter bunny hid some of the eggs in their bike helmets. They all thought that the Easter bunny must be pretty funny. The bunny also ate some of the carrots that were left out for him too. However, since he did not eat all of them, he must have been getting full since I am sure all the boys and girls have left carrots out for the bunny.
This has been a wonderful Easter. Daddy and Uncle T returned from their trip this morning and they were just in time for the Easter festivities. We had a wonderful brunch followed up in the afternoon with a big ham and all the fixings. Needless to say we have been well fed. It is a beautiful spring day here and I told my friend this morning that a bright and sunny Easter morning just makes me smile. Alleluia!
The kids have been enjoying the treats out of their baskets all day and it is always nice when they have some new things to keep them happy and busy. Today was a great day. I was worried that it would be a sad day because Easter was a holiday that we always spent with GG Del. I know she was with us in spirit and since we were all together having fun and laughing it made it easier. Christ has risen, the sun is shining, spring is in the air, God is good! Alleluia! Happy Easter 2009.

Career Day

When I got home from work the other night the kids all tried on my construction gear! They thought it was so cool. They often ask me about work and what I do. I try to explain that I help to build hospitals but they don't really get that. Just the other day they had a debate about where I go to the bathroom at work. They asked if I go in the port-a-potty and were so surprised when I told that that sometimes I do! At this point in time I am working part time but I love my schedule because it really gives me the best of both worlds. I get to spend a lot of quality time with my kids but I also get to have my own deal at work. I like the people I work with and I truly love what I do. So in my mind I do have it great. I would like to point out that it is not all peaches and cream and my stress level does get high because I am trying to be all things to all people but for the most part I gain so much confidence and feel great with doing the best I can at both worlds! I think it is a great example of hard work and dedication for my kids too. Now when this hospital opens, I will have to take them on a tour of it so they know where I spend my time when I am at "work"!

Wordless Wednesday~Future Pilots

So Long Cho Cho

For the kids very first Christmas, my parents bought them the Cho Cho Wagon! We LOVED this wagon and the kids loved to ride in it. It seemed that everywhere we took the wagon everyone was envious of it. I was asked so many times where I got it from.Well the time has come to sell the wagon. It is not that we could not use that wagon again but it is just time as the kids will be five and they are getting a little too big for this wagon. I sold this wagon to another triplet family that have three 9 month olds. It makes me feel good to know that it is going to a good home where it will be loved but this one is hard to let go for me. It is once again a reminder of how fast these kids are growing up! This is a good thing but sometimes it feels as if it is going just way to fast. Just today I had K at the doctor for an ear check. He has gained 8 POUNDS since August. He is getting so tall and he is such a handsome (not so) little man now.The girls are turning into little ladies now too. Just this past weekend when we were at Kohl's, Grandma E told the kids they could pick out one thing for their Easter gift. The girls bypassed the toy section and headed right on over to the girls section where the "make up" and little girl accessories are located. This again was a sign that they are getting to be such fun "not so" little people.Life has really been a lot easier on Jon and I now that they do not need us so much anymore but for some reason I have a little ping in my heart knowing that they are almost 5 and although hugs and kisses are okay right now, I am not sure how much longer until that is just not going to be so "cool" anymore.
I am loving this ride we are on. My heart swells with happiness but I am sure that the minute the wagon leaves our cul de sac on it's way to its new home, my heart will be sad for a few moments at how fast time is going by. For now I will continue to hug and kiss and love up my kids every day. Bye Bye good ole Cho Cho!

Skating Delight

Yesterday, the kids had their last "hockey" (aka skating) lesson. They all really enjoyed these lessons and they all did fairly well. It is safe to say now they can skate on their own and since we live in a place with true winter that is a bonus. I am not sure if we will have any hockey players on our hands but at least they can go pond skating with their friends now and hold their own.
When I was growing up, I was what they call a "hockey" sister. My older brother played hockey for most of my childhood so therefore I spent a lot of time at the rink! It was always fun to go to out of town tournaments, swim in the pools, and cruise the halls of the hotels. I think my parents enjoyed hanging out with other hockey parents too. These are all happy and good memories for me. Yesterday, I saw a mom at the rink that had a sweatshirt on that said hockey mom on it. This made me smile as I am sure my own mother probably wore something similar. She was by far the loudest and most active fan at my brother's games. She would spill peoples coffee as she would get so excited and then grab on to them. I remember telling her many times "MOM CALM DOWN!!!" Still to this day some of those hockey parents still laugh and reminder her about this. I am not sure if my future holds the title of "Hockey Mom" but I think I would be fine with it either way. Hockey is fun to watch and from what I hear a ton of fun to play. I guess only the future will tell if we will be a hockey family!
Uncle T (aka Jim) was a big help with the skating lessons. He would come every week and help either Jon or myself get the kids all geared up. This was a life saver for us as you can imagine what a feat this is to get three little kids all geared up to skate. We had it down to a science in the end and we would get the kids out on the ice with in 5-10 minutes of arrival at the rink. So THANK YOU JIM for all your help!

Wordless Wednesday~A Tinker kind of Magic

Introducing Jim AKA Jungle Jim

The kids have given Uncle T a new nickname. They call him Jim which is short for Jungle Jim. They gave him this nickname after a fun evening playing kick ball and hot tubing at Grandma and Grandpa A's house. This makes me smile and now we all call him Jim. These kids love their Uncle T oops I mean Jim!

The Sensitive One

If someone would have told me when I was pregnant that out of my three wonderful children, my most sensitive one would be the boy, I would never have believed it. However, that seems to be the case these days. I am not sure if it is a boy thing or just a sensitive thing but K is so sensitive. Just tonight, we were having a conversation at dinner time about Jesus and Easter and why he died to save all of us. I know it is kind of deep but the kids kept asking me questions and I was just being as honest with them as possible. From this conversation, we started to talk about death and of course GG Del came up. I was trying to explain about heaven and earth and why people die. I was trying to explain what heaven was and that it was not a place to be afraid of but one that would bring us all such joy. K then asked why we feel so bad when someone dies. I thought this was pretty deep for a 4.5 yr old but I explained that we feel sad because we won't see those people again for such a long time that we are sad but that the people who die (AKA GG Del) are happy. The next thing I know K had watery eyes and he would not look at me because he did not want me to see him cry. I gave me a hug and told him that it was okay to cry about it and that I still feel sad and cry about GG Del too. This is just one example of his sensitiveness.
Whenever we are leaving people that we don't see very often, like Grandma and Grandpa E, Uncle Bern and Aunt Lorretta, and various others, K always gets watery eyes. He hates good byes and he can't stand to think it will be awhile before he sees that person again. This breaks my heart but I know that he is just having natural human reactions to sad things like saying goodbye or see you later to loved ones.
For me, I hope that he continues to have this sensitive side to him when he gets older. I think it important to have emotions and be sensitive. I am not sure how Jon feels about this but I do know that I am married to a rock. A man that I love with all my heart and soul but one that does not show emotion very often at all. The fact that he married someone like me...Ms. Emotional, amazes me but I think it is God having a sense of humor much like giving me 3 babies at one time! My hope is that maybe K's sensitive side will rub off on Jon a little cause can you really be a rock forever? Can you really walk your daughters down the aisle or watch them get married and not shed a tear? I guess only time will tell. For now, I will continue to be that caring mom to two beautiful loving girls and one handsome sensitive boy! After all, that is what I do best these days. God bless!

Have you seen the lamb?

These pictures were taken by our friend Sue this past weekend. I thought I would post about it because it really shows the love for baseball that K and E have. Even when it is below 50 degrees outside. At this point, nothing is going to stop them. K especially loves to play! I just signed all three kids up for Tee Ball this spring. That starts in less than a month so lets hope it gets warmer out by then.
We have some spring fever going on around here but it just seems as though Mr. Winter is trying to hang on far to long this year. There are rumors that we are supposed to get some snow tonight and tomorrow and it does not look like we will get above 45 degrees all week! Booo Hoooo! This weather is getting OLD! What happened to March coming in like a lion and out like a lamb? Hmmmm, the lamb forgot to show up so if you see him...please let him know we are all missing him!

Planes, Trains, & Mini Vans

Yes, we were back at the travels again this past weekend. This time we were off to GA to visit my Aunt and Uncle. We all had a BLAST! They were so hospitable to us and the kids loved all the attention and treats. They had so many fun things planned and it was nice to get to their house and have the whole weekend planned out for us. My Aunt Lorretta told me the first night we got there that even if the kids had toys throughout the whole house...it did not matter. That was music to my ears. We were all so comfortable there. So if you are reading this Aunt Lorretta or Uncle Bern THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for such an awesome weekend.
Saturday we all headed to Atlanta to go to the Aquarium. Not only the kids but all of us loved it. My favorite was the beluga whales. They were so cool.
We had lunch there and then we went through the tunnel underneath the gigantic aquarium and we saw large sharks, sting rays, and a ton of fish. It was really cool. We also saw beluga whales, sea otters, crocodiles, and many other things.
After the aquarium, we headed across the street to the Olympic Park. It was neat to see where the Olympics took place and the kids enjoyed playing on the large outdoor playground. It was a gorgeous day at about 70 and sunny! It felt great. After Olympic Park we decided to head over to Fernbrook museum to see the Dinosaur exhibit. I love the picture above because Aunt Lorretta was so proud to be with the kids and she loved to take them around and show them her "town"! We had no idea what a hit Fernbrook was going to be with K and how taken he was with the dinosaurs. It was really need to see him get so excited and want to learn so much about them. We will for sure find another museum to go to so he can learn even more about them.
After Fernbrook we headed to D&B's for dinner. This place was a blast too. We spent at least 2.5 hours there and the kids loved playing the games and getting the tickets. Aimee won the horse race many times but the first time she won she was thrilled about all her tickets. I wish I would of had it on camera because her face was so cute and it was if she had just won the lottery. We all had a good laugh about this. We had dinner at D&B's and after we used up all of our game tokens we traded our tickets in for some treasures and headed back to Bern and Lorretta's for bed. It was really late but the kids were troopers all day.Sunday we got up late and we all got ready so we could go to church. As always, the kids were excellent in church and after church we drove around Athens looking at all the bull dogs! The kids loved doing this.
After a late lunch we all went back to Bern and Lorretta's and changed so we could go to another park and play. I was a good girl and ran two miles while Jon, Lorretta, Bern and the kids played baseball on one of the empty fields. Uncle Bern was very impressed with K and E and how well they could hit the ball. Oh and did I mention that the weather was 75 and sunny on this day! It was awesome.
Sunday night Lorretta invited some of their close friends, Karen & Bob, over and we all had dinner together. The kids were smitten with Karen and there were many belly laughs.Monday, we got up late and hung out until it was time to pack our bags and hit the road. It was sad to say goodbye to Uncle Bern and Aunt Lorretta but we all needed to get back.
We did not have confirmed seats on the Monday afternoon flight so we stayed a night in a hotel in Charlotte but the kids thought this was such a fun adventure. We did get out on Tuesday morning and arrived home safely. Now we are starting to plan for our next trip since we are becoming such seasoned travelers. The kids just told me tonight that they like to travel and they can't wait until they can do it again! YAHOO!

Wordless Wednesday~Seasoned Travelers

A boy & his dinosaur talk

I wanted to share this video with you and I apologize it is sideways. We went to Fernbrook in Atlanta to see the Dinosaur Exhibit and K went nuts. Here he is telling me all about how the Dinosaurs went extinct! It was so cute how excited he got about all of this. I will have to find something around here that I can take him to about dinosaurs. Oh and in the end his sisters decide they need the spotlight too!

3 Mothers

The girls have taken on the role of "mothering" K. This might have something to do about his listening skills or lack there of lately. To many people bossing him around. I will have to keep my eye on this but below is from an email that my friend Sue sent to me about what happened when they were at her house this past weekend. It made me smile.

As you know, the girls are little mothers to K. Several time during the day one or the other of them would tell K to do or not do something. At one point the girls and I were playing Cootie, Denny had given K his Lightening McQueen car so he was playing with that on the kitchen floor while we were at the kitchen table. I had my back to K and E looks up and says "K, don't do that!", and he starts to reply "you are not my..." and E buts in, "I know I am not your mother but DON'T do that" (I don't even remember what he was doing).

Poor K, he is stuck with being around 1 big mommy and 2 little mommies all day long! I do believe that he will be a great catch someday with all this female influence in his life!!! I do feel sorry for the little guy though as training can be tough!