Breakfast at the Koenig house

These three unbelievably sweet faces make it hard to leave to go to work.  Sigh.  Kurt does a fantastic job as a stay-at-home Dad and I love my job but some days I wish I got to stay at home with the kids.  This is one of those days.

Lucas the thinker

Sweetest Sarah

Jolly Jakers

Lovable Lucas

Christmas Morning

Santa visited our house in the wee hours of Christmas Eve morning because he knew we had a busy Christmas Day planned and he's very accommodating!  It turned out to be a good thing because all 3 were excited to see their gifts and ready to play.  That night Sarah came down with a high fever and we now think she has Roseola.  So having Santa come early was actually an even better blessing than we knew!  The first thing the kids did was check out their new kitchen set.  Then Jake was the first to test out the Power Wheels Jeep.  Sarah and Luke were a little more unsure of it.  Sarah enjoyed her new cabbage patch doll and every played with the busy ball popper. 

The boys cooking up breakfast

Sarah giving kisses to her new baby

Traffic Jam!

Jake signals for a turn

The Perfect Card

Tonight I realized I never posted the completed card.  So here it is.  I think it's my favorite one we've ever done. 

Counting our Blessings

Tonight I had one of those really special moments when you just stop and take it all in.  Time seems to stand still for a moment and let you breathe it in.  I had both boys snuggling with me on the couch (which doesn't happen a lot since Lucas is a wild man) and I was overcome with the feeling of being the luckiest person in the world.  I leaned in and smelled both boys' heads.  They smelled like baby shampoo, and little boy hair, and cookies (yes they had cookie crumbs in their hair).  Only a mother knows the true joy of smelling their own baby's hair.  I must have had a huge smile on my face because when I looked over at Kurt he smiled back and we both knew what the other was thinking.  We are so lucky and so blessed to have these 3 little miracles in our lives. 

Four years ago we were frustrated with all the "trying" to get pregnant.  Three years ago we were still grieving the loss of our little girl.  Two years ago I was on bedrest in the hospital trying to "bake" the trio a little longer.  Last year was our first Christmas with our little 11 month old babies.  And now we are here with our nearly two year old children.  What an amazing ride it has been so far.  I thought I'd celebrate with a little blast from the past- Christmas 2009 and living at Northside Hospital.  The babies were born 2 weeks later!

My room nurse Meredith decorated

The giant belly.  All 3 babies moving at once!

The side view- holy moly!

Uncle Terry talking to the babies

Keeping myself entertained with cross-stitching a bib

Making the Perfect Card

A lot of thought, time, energy, and money goes into making the perfect Christmas card every year.  Last year we cashed in on a great deal for free cards.  This year we were not so lucky.  So we had the local studio here in Newnan take the pics and make the cards.  Not cheap but worth it.  Here are some of the best of our little models.

Mimi and Papa even got in on the action and took some pics for their card.  They also turned out great!

Santa Baby

Today our neighborhood had its annual visit from Santa.  We got dressed in our holiday gear and headed off to the clubhouse to have the triplet's pictures made.  When we got there, there were about 25 other families in front of us which isn't too bad.  We had to wait about 45 minutes but they had plenty of food and drinks.  The kids snacked on mini muffins and chocolate chip cookies while we waited.  Lucas instantly wanted to go socialize with the other children.  Sarah and Jacob were content to hang with us.  When it was finally our turn to see Santa, Sarah was afraid and started crying.  Then Jake started crying.  I think the two of them are starting a "fear of strangers" phase.  Lucas was cool as could be and just chatted with the big guy.  After bribing Sarah and Jake with bites of a cookie they settled down for a few pictures.  But we never got a really good one of them looking at the camera.  That is always a challenge!  Oh well, maybe next year!

Busy December

We have been busy, busy here in Newnan since Thanksgiving!  Everyone keeps asking if we've finished our Christmas shopping yet.  I wish!  I try to get that tackled as early as possible but there always seem to be a few gifts that get put off until the last minute. 

A week or so ago we decided to take the kiddos out for dinner at Red Lobster.  We used both a coupon and a gift card so our meal only cost us $7.  Woohoo!  While we waited for a table, the manager came over and asked the kids if they wanted to see a lobster up-close.  They were not too sure about this but they were fascinated by the bubbling tank.  Lucas especially was one part intrigued and two parts terrified!

The manager shows the trio a live lobster

Lucas is 1 part intrigued & 2 parts terrified!

Last Saturday we had an outing with our Moms of Multiples Club at an art studio in Peachtree City.  The kids stamped brown hand prints on t-shirts to make reindeer antlers and we filled in the rest of the face.  Sarah and Lucas both socialized with the other kids but that was a little too much out of Jake's "comfort zone" so he hung out near Kurt and I.  It's always fun to do things with other families of multiples.  The kids each got to eat a "reindeer" cookie and I think that was the hit of the day!

Lucas checks out the hand stamping station

Once the hand prints are done Kurt paints the reindeer faces

Enjoying the reindeer cookies

Sarah makes friends with JoAnna's girls

I think Jake is wearing most of his cookie!

On Sunday we ventured out to Lowe's to get a Christmas tree.  Like last year, we opted for a smaller 3 foot tree again.  We just don't have the room in our cramped den for a big tree.  Maybe by next year we will have some extra space and we can go back to getting a big tree.  We took the wagon with us so the kids wouldn't get lost wandering around the store.  As usual, it attracted a lot of attention!  We found just the right tree and it even came with its own stand.  Bonus!

Chugging along around Lowe's

Looking for the perfect tree

After getting a tree we decided to go to Hooters to watch some football and eat chicken wings.  It's a good place to go with the kids because it's always loud and no one notices if the kids are acting up.  The kids enjoyed their chicken fingers and tater tots.  Lucas kept flirting with all the waitresses and attracted a lot of attention.  He would clap for them and say "touchdown".  He also gave them "high 5's" and the biggest smiles I've ever seen.  When it was time to go, Lucas kept trying to break away from us and run back to the waitresses.  He pitched a fit in the lobby and we had to drag him out kicking and screaming which is very unlike him.  We better keep an eye on that boy...he's going to be quite the ladies man! hahahaha. 

Yummy...tater tots!

Lucas liked the food but liked the waitresses more!

Sarah is happy as long as there is ketchup for her to dip in!

Happy Birthday Leyna Angel

In all the chaos of Thanksgiving, I did not blog about a very important anniversary.  It was 3 years ago last Tuesday our little Leyna was born sleeping and we had to say goodbye just as we had said hello.  I bought a flower arrangement and candle to commemorate the day.  Kurt and I lit the candle and prayed our sweet baby girl is up in Heaven and at peace.  We miss you and think about you all the time baby girl.  Thank you for asking God to send the triplets to us.  Love, Mommy & Daddy

So Thankful

I am thankful 365 days a year for my crazy, chaotic, awesome life.  But Thanksgiving is the time when we really show it.  I am so thankful for all my family and friends.  I am thankful for Kurt and our babies.  I am thankful for my pets, my house, my job, and all the other things that make our life so full.  Last year was technically the trio's 1st Thanksgiving but they weren't up for eating much.  They pretty much stuck to their bottles and some baby food.  The year before that they were still tucked away in my belly.  The year before that we were still grieving the loss of our sweet baby Leyna and had no idea the triplets would soon be on their way to us.  So this year was very special because they got to sit at the table and enjoy turkey with us.  They sampled the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, the corn casserole, the sweet potatoes, and the cranberries.  Lucas was obsessed with the dinner rolls.  Jake wore his cranberries above his lip like a mustache.  Sarah preferred to eat the food off Nana's plate rather than her own.  We had a full house with 15 adults and 3 children for dinner.  But the tight space and noisy room were just more things to be thankful for!

Daddy sharing food with his boys

Jacob ready to dig in!

Sarah chowing down

Group shot of the "kids" table

Big Kid Cuts

It's that time again...off to Zany Cuts we go for a trio of new "do's".  How do we look, ma?  Fabulous!

Jakers

Lucas Man

Sarah Bugs

Little Hoarder

They all start somewhere.  And Lucas has a pretty good start.  Lucas has been hoarding toys and small items since he could crawl.  He has one particular spot where he likes to store his treasures and thankfully I know where that is.  It's in the space between the love seat and the end table.  From time to time I clean it out of clutter but it had obviously been awhile.  I only noticed it yesterday because I dropped the TV remote in that little cubby and had to crouch down to fish it out.  When I emptied Luke's cubby of items I found a bag of Sarah's lost hair bows, a missing necklace, 2 drink coasters, a block, a plastic toy frog, a teething ring, 2 sticky notes, and tags off one of the kids' brand new clothes.  I'm not exactly sure what he planned on doing with those items, but we may have a little MacGyver on our hands! Haha. 



The Evidence

Nanny's for the Day

This weekend Kurt and I had the opportunity to watch the Dawgs crush the Auburn Tigers in Athens.  Usually we trade off going to football games and the other stays home to watch the trio, but my mom and grandmother (Nanny) volunteered to keep the trio so we could both go to the game.  Once word got out the trio would be in town, the rest of the family showed up too and made an impromptu cookout.  I was sorry we missed it but I know the trio had a fun time.  Kurt and I also had a great time in Athens.  With it also being our 7 year wedding anniversary this weekend, it was nice to spend some time in the place we met and fell in love. 

Jake finds a shoe!

Nanny snuggles on the sofa with Luke, Sarah, & cousin Zane

Sarah cares for a baby doll

Bittersweet Moments

Nothing catches you off guard like a moment that is both sweet and sad.  Many mornings I am up and off to work before anyone wakes up.  But sometimes my schedule makes it so that the kids are eating breakfast as I head off to work, briefcase and purse in hand.  Sometimes Sarah starts waving goodbye to me as soon as she sees me reach for my purse.  She knows that mommy's purse means "bye bye" time.  But the sweetest/sadest moment happened a few days ago with Lucas.  We have a toy that looks like a purple briefcase.  As I was getting ready to head off to work, Lucas picked up the purple "briefcase", waved "bye bye" and headed for the door.  He thought he was headed off to work too.  I wasn't sure whether to laugh or to cry.  On the one hand it was so precious that he was immitating mommy.  But on the other hand he was imitating me leaving him.  I think most every working mother carries some guilt of not being there with her babies.  This just drove a stake into to core of that guilt.  But I know I'm providing for my family.  So I'll keep heading out the door with that briefcase 5 days a week.  And I'm sure there will be many more bittersweet moments like this along the way. 

Pumpkin Patch

This past weekend we visited the pumpkin patch behind Dad & Elizabeth's house.  The kiddos had fun looking at and touching each pumpkin.  Lucas thought it was his personal task to move all the little pumpkins from where they were set up to be with the big pumpkins.  Jake wasn't thrilled with the pumpkins as it was past his naptime and he was crashing fast.  Sarah liked tossing the pumpkins.  We will definitely be making this an annual tradition. 

Lucas picking out the perfect pumpkin

Sarah and Jake looking over the mini pumpkins

Sarah liked tossing the mini pumpkins

Grandpa William and Jacob William head home