May 23, 2008

Are You Serious???

The new Target in Easton has these great carts that allow all 3 of my triplets to have a seat at the front of the cart. It really works well when I have all 4 with me, not to mention the pit stop we make at Mc Donald's for 4 small fries!!!

Anyway here I am, shopping yesterday evening, when I had the kids parked at the end of the aisle and I went to crab some floor cleaner....

Woman with friend:"Oh my God! If I had all of those kids I would kill myself!"
Me: walking to cart with cleaner, appalled by comment
Woman with friend: "I feel so sorry for you! And all boys too!"
Me: "Do not feel sorry for me in any way! I am perfectly happy with my family! Helena come here please."
Woman with friend: "Oh my, you have another one too?"
Me: "Yes she is mine as well"
Woman with friend: "Well I guess it is so much easier now that they can play together all of the time and keep each other occupied!"
Me: "Or they could just throw each other on the floor like a WWF Smackdown to get the toy away from the other, like they do everyday, while keeping each other occupied. That makes is soooo much easier!"
Friend: "I think we better let Mom finish her shopping now!"

May 22, 2008

Boys!


Thanks to my "Little Sister" Kate, I was reading my first issue of Wonder time magazine when I saw it - the article that would bring me to tears (laughing that is!). The title:


boy, oh boy,

oh boy, oh boy,

oh boy! a mom of

5 sons tells all


Now this woman (Jacquelyn Mitchard) is already my hero! Apparently she has survived, so there is hope for me!! I knew I was going to like her when I read the tag line on the first page:


"Raising five (five!) sons! It's not pretty. But it is pretty great."


And here are some of my favorite parts of the article:


"Don't try to mess with me. I'm the equivalent of a 30-year beat cop or a career fighter pilot. I have five sons." (My version right now is wrestling referee and boot-camp platoon leader.)


"You can raise your son as a Quaker, a vegan or a pagan; he's still going to fight with his brother over an unused pen cap as thought it were the Star of India." (In my house it is anything that has to do with wheels or petrified food!)


In reference to the Y chromosome....."I'm heavily invested in that Y. My life without my sons would be a haven of peaceful and predictable days and nights. Who wants that? My daughters make sense. My sons make nonsense."


And finally my favorite....

"I love my boys for their pure sense of mayhem."


(You mean it is not normal for three 2 year olds to run around the house, taking off their clothes, while eating a loaf of cinnamon swirl bread that they found on the counter, by moving the bench from the kitchen table over to the sink! In the 3 minutes it took me to take out the trash?!? Oh and did I forget to mention that they got into the kitchen, from the gated family room, by standing on a play bus that allowed them to scale the knee wall.)


Thank you Jacquelyn Mitchard for giving me a sense of normalcy! I will keep in mind the comment about window screens being used as front doors for the next 10 years!!


Parker, Preston and Peyton are already a force to be reckoned with - but these are also the boys that will allow their big sister to dress them up like princesses and gymnasts (Preston looked like the strong man in the circus!)! This is also the force that will go into her room every morning to wake her up - Preston will snuggle under the covers, Parker will jump on the bed and Peyton will tap her on the head, if it is already not under the covers!! They may not always be friends, but I know deep down that they will always love each other. (Sound familiar Uncle Dan!)

May 20, 2008

Big Boy Beds

OK, so last Thursday evening, Preston - my little sweetheart, got out of his crib no less than 10 times after I put him to bed. This was not the way I wanted to end my evening, needless to say! So Friday evening we did it - everyone went into their Big Boy Bed!

However it was just not that simple. Friday evening, after everyone was put to bed, there was a small party going on in their room. When Jason went up to put everyone back to bed, it looked like a Winter Wonderland. They got into the dresser and emptied the entire container of baby powder all over their room! Peyton never messed with this, so it was either Parker or Preston. (My money is on Parker - he may look sweet and innocent, but trust me I know the truth!!)

So on Saturday we went into Ft. Knox mode....we put new safety locks on the bathroom and closet doors. A new gate that is secured into the wall is in the doorway. All clothing and other items aside from their sleep toys - Buzz Lightyear, books and blankies - went into the new closet organizers. The lamps got put on top of the bookshelf and...... they still figured out that if they pull out the bottom draw of the small dresser they can reach anything that may be on top of it.

So now there is nothing on top of any furniture that is less than 4 ft tall and all is getting to be well. Last night it only took 30 minutes for everyone to fall asleep and today nap time went much better!!! I think we are onto something here.........Lets Keep Our Fingers Crossed!!!

May 11, 2008

Mothers Day 2008 (Daddy Rocks!)

This year I was asked "As a MOM of multiples plus one - what would you like for Mothers Day?"

My honest answer was "A day of peace and quiet, with my family, where I did not have to wake up early to make breakfast, someone would make it for me. I would not have to worry about diaper changes and getting everyone dressed. I would not have to fuss over putting in a ponytail and I would not have to worry about lunch or dinner. The day would be planned and I could just enjoy it!"
So here is how it went -
I woke up on my own schedule in a nice comfy bed, by myself, and I didn't even have to make it. I got to get myself and only myself ready for the day. I got to go eat breakfast someone else cooked and not have to worry about doing the dished afterwards. I got to come home to everyone bathed and dressed for the day, ponytail included. I got to have a nice lunch with the family before the triplets took their nap (Helena even had a quiet time) and even got to nap myself for an hour. (Jason and I crashed on the couch watching TV). I got to go out to dinner, no planning and no cleanup for me and best of all I got to spend it with my family!!!
This year my Mothers Day wish really did come true!! Not to mention I got the most awesome gift ever - the grandmoms and GG got a smaller version as well and Jason did these all on his own, with help from Helena, while I was at the concert yesterday......the picture is on a canvas.
Daddy Rocks!! Just one of the many reasons I love him!!


Are you a Poet or Pirate?

Webster says a poet is a person of great imagination and expressive capabilities and a pirate is one who carries out the act of robbery on the high seas.

I think at times I can qualify as both, although my "high seas" is really our house! I can be an imaginative MOM of 4 (try keeping them entertained) who "steals" kisses and hugs on a daily basis all for pure enjoyment - what better "booty" could you ask for! Then when Daddy comes home - I can steal a few from him while trying to use my "expressive" capabilities to come up with a dinner all 6 of us will enjoy!

But what leads me to this question you may ask??? The FUN I had yesterday at the Kenny Chesney - Poets and Pirates Concert at M & T Bank Stadium!!

I know, not all of you know about my fixation with Country music - I love it because I think it is real. The country of today is not our parents country, it is not all "twang and banjos" - some songs sound just like my life, or a small part of the past (but that's another entry entirely!!)

So yesterday Big Denise, my Mom and Dad, Brother and Melissa, Aunt Sharon and Uncle Chuck, Chuckie and Ashlee went to the concert. BD and I headed downtown around 10:30 to check in at the Hotel (that's right our husbands rock!). After checking in and getting freshened up we headed to Pickles Pub to check out the mechanical bull riding (ha ha) and other events going on. Outside of the stadium they had some local bands playing, another mechanical bull and some give-aways.

Around 2:30 we headed in to find our seats, grab a "drink" and begin our day. The lineup hosted some of my faves -Big and Rich, Brooks and Dunn, ending of course with Kenny Chesney who took the stage around 9:00. I have to say we sang and danced our way through the day and night. By the time the concert was over I was voiceless. When we got back to our room, we crashed at midnight. We had every intention of going back to Pickles to check out the fun, but the reality of getting up at 6:30 that morning hit us like a brick! We just can't hang like we used to!! When I woke up this morning in that soft, down covered bed, all by myself, with no cooking to do, or diapers to change or someone asking me to put on the Disney Channel - it was nice, but honestly tooo quiet.

Thanks Big D for a full day of fun and excitement, just like we used to have back when we met 20 years ago!!

May 9, 2008

Were Off To See The.......Dinosaurs




On Monday Helena's Pre-K class had their last field trip of the year. We went to the Museum of Natural History in Wilmington, DE. The museum was not very big, but had all of the important things one needs to learn about Dinosaurs. Helena's favorite is the Stegosaurus (you know the one with the plates down its back and spikes on its tail) and lucky for us they have one in residence!



The guide did a really nice job of talking to the kids on their level and showing them just enough to keep their minds on the topic at hand. It was also nice to see how many parents participated in the day. After our tour we had a picnic lunch before heading to the Park for some playtime.

Helena really wanted her picture taken with the beetle, little did she realize it is a dung beetle and the big ball behind it is supposed to be poo!



May 8, 2008

Happy 2nd Birthday Parker, Preston and Peyton

Saturday, May 3, 2008 - Parker, Preston and Peyton offically became 2 big years old. Looking back at their 1st Birthday pictures it is hard for me to believe how much they have grown. Last year at this time they were barely walking, now I can barely catch them when they run around the yard. They keep me busy - no doubt about that - but I would not trade any day (good or bad) for the world. Each day with them proves to be a new experience in learning, patience and laughter. I get to watch them grow into little men and be surprised each day.
Every morning when they wake up, the first thing they do is go into Helena's room and wake her up. She, like her mother (and Godmother), is not a morning person, but she gladly shares the covers with Preston, Parker ususally jumps on the bed and Peyton pats her on the head to wake her up. This is the beginning of our morning ritual......and to be honest I don't think she would change it for all of the Barbie clothes in Toys'R'Us!

This year we chose to do a Backyardigans Theme - the boys love to sing and dance with Pablo, Uniqua, Tasha, Tyrone and Austin. (Could someone tell me what Uniqua is???) They received some really great presents from our family and friends - a new wardrobe for summer, a drumb set (thanks to Godmother Kristen), a Mickey Mouse table, an alphabet train (that Helena loves), talking cars, Disney pj's, a water table, toys and a nice contribution to their college fund!

Helena got each brother a new board book and decorated each bag all by herself. Mommy and Daddy - we had fun - we got the boys a John Deere Loader, Gator and Tractor with a pull behind cart. They are all battery powered so they can ride around the yard.








The day proved to be a great one - the boys had fun, the food was good and we got to celebrate with family and friends.
We got a really nice surprise in the late after noon - Mr. Louie who is in the States for training came to visit us before he headed back to Malaysia. We will not get to see him when we are in Alaska visiting Ms. Pam and the kids this summer, he arrives almost 2 weeks after we leave.

Picture Updates

For my birthday (Feb.) I got a new camera and yesterday I finally downloaded the 300 pictures on it! Here are some of my faves from the last few months.....

Looking at the train arriving at Strausburg Railroad Station
Ballet Class Visitation
Marty's Playland
In OC!!

May 1, 2008

Getting Ready

As I am running around the house yesterday and today to start preparing for the party on Saturday, I keep trying to get a grasp on the situation...

Parker, Preston and Peyton will be 2 on Saturday!!! Who told these little guys it was ok to grow up soooooo fast???

Yesterday the 3 of them moved an end table to the knee wall, scaled over it, into the highchairs and down the front so they could move the foot stool (I need it to reach the cabinets) to get to the bag of white cheddar popcorn sitting on the counter!!! As I walked in on this little maneuver I saw Parker reaching for the Popcorn, Peyton laying on top of the knee wall and Preston preparing to scale down the front of his highchair. I literally went in to put Helena's hair in a ponytail and brush our teeth....what are the next 18 years going to bring??? I can only imagine.......