Seeing Santa

The trio is just a few weeks shy of their third birthday.  And just the right age to be TERRIFIED of Santa.  I was hoping this would not be the case and they would actually enjoy the experience.  All week we talked about Santa and all three expressed how excited they were.  Sarah planned to ask for a new doll, Jake for trains, and Lucas a candy cane.  They were even still excited while we stood in line.  Then the moment was upon us... Sarah was cool with sitting on Santa's lap.  Lucas clung to the security of Mrs. Clause instead.  Jake wanted no part of any of it.  Thankfully after a few minutes and some bribing with jingle bells he came around.  He still wouldn't sit on Santa's lap but he would sit on the bench by him.  The pictures were pretty fun.  I almost like the "crying" one best.  lol

Some Belated Turkey Talk

The week of Thanksgiving was a blur.  Now here we are 2 weeks later and I'm still not sure what day it is.  Between the holiday, battling colds, and studying for a big exam (which I passed) there just wasn't a lot of time for blogging.  So this will be short and sweet.  We had most of the family (on both sides) over to our house for a delicious meal.  There were 20 of us including kids and thankfully our new bigger house could accommodate the extra guests.  We would never have been able to do that in our old house.  I was apprehensive that everyone would get along and enjoy the day but that's exactly what happened.  Overall, it could not have gone any better.  And for that, I am beyond thankful!

Nana snuggling baby Eli

One of the three tables we set up

Centerpieces the kids made at school

All the side-dishes.  Yummy!

Sarah in her Tom Turkey dress

New Van!

The title says it all.  We got a new van.  We didn't plan on getting a new van anytime soon but the old one died and we just didn't have any more money to sink into it.  The old van was a 2000 Dodge Caravan with nearly 150,000 miles.  It was given to us for Christmas 3 years ago by my folks.  It was such an unbelievably generous gift at a time when we desperately needed it!  The trio was about 2 weeks away from being born and up to that point we had no way to even get them all home from the hospital unless we each drove a separate car! That van got us back and forth to a lot of places in the last 3 years.  And we were a little sad to see it go.

The van we brought our babies home in from the hospital

But as luck would have it we found a newer used Honda Odyssey for sale at a local dealership.  We got a good price and a fair trade-in on the old van.  Overall, we could not be happier with the new van.  It is fully loaded with leather seats, automatic sliding doors, sunroof, DVD player, and more.  It is sooooo easy to get the kids in and out of the van now.  It drives like a dream!  While not planned...a great surprise!

Lucas Richard

Mr. Lukeeeese,
My little man who didn't want to leave his Mommy.  You wanted to stay with me forever.  When you were in my womb I talked to you every day.  It was mostly to ask you to please dislodge your head from under my rib-cage   It was very uncomfortable.  You were so tangled in your cord at birth that it was a very tense few minutes to be sure you were ok.

The first time I ever saw you

That was the last time you've ever been slow to get started with anything.  You are my little ball of energy.  You are a wild man.  Of course you were the first to roll over, to crawl, to pull-up, to cruise, to walk, and to run.  And now you run everywhere.  You were also the first to earn a trip to the ER and stitches in your head.  We affectionately call you Dennis the Menace because of your adorable tuft of hair that sticks straight up and your ability to get into trouble anywhere.  But you have a grin that can get you out of trouble anytime you flash it.

You are so smart.  I know for sure (even at age 2) that you are going to do something with science or engineering.  When you were an infant you used to just stare at my watch, analyzing it as if you were trying to figure out how it worked.  You love to take things apart.  You are fascinated by lights, fans, and all things electronic.

You already have such a tender heart.  You are concerned when someone is hurt or upset.  You give me lots of hugs and kisses and say "my mommy" which lets me know you're glad I'm your #1.  You tell me every day that you love me even unprovoked.  It breaks my heart when I leave for work in the morning and you watch me from the window.  If I could, I would spend every day with you and your siblings.  You are my world.  I'm so lucky to be your Mommy.  I love you so much!

Love, Mommy

Jacob William

Dear Jakers,
My little chunky monkey man.  The moment you took your first breath you let out a big wail and I cried because I knew you were ok.  When we met the first time in the NICU you were agitated with your feeding tube and yanked it out and let the nurses know you were not happy.  I should have known at that moment that everything must be just the way "Jake" likes it.  You are very particular and are a happy boy as long as things are just the way you want.  You do everything in your own time and not one second before.

The first time I ever saw you in the NICU

Your smile can light up a whole room.  Your laugh is adorable.  I call you my little marshmallow because you love to cuddle and snuggle.  You are so squeezable!  You are so handsome and you look just like your Daddy.  You have so many mannerisms like your Dad too.  That must be why I love you so much.

I'm so proud of the way you've taken to potty-training.  You are often slow to start a new task, but when you do it you "ace" it.  You can name every color in the crayon box.  You can count to fifteen.  You recognize your shapes.  Every day I find out something else that you know.  You are constantly amazing me.

I am so lucky to have you in my life.  You and your siblings are a dream come true.  I can't wait to watch you grow and develop.  I love you buddy!

Love,
Mommy

Sarah Grace

Dear Sarah Bear,
My sweet, adorable "mini-me".  You are the funniest, silliest, most fun little girl I know.  From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I knew we would be best friends for life.

The first time I ever saw you.  

You are unbelievably beautiful.  I love your goofy laugh and your gap-tooth smile.  You are so sassy, sensitive, and opinionated.

You are such a girly girl.  From the moment you were born you have adored everything pink, frilly, or glittery.  You carry your little "purse" everywhere.  One of your first phrases was "oh, I like that" when I showed you a new dress.

You are so smart.  I'm afraid too smart for your own good.  I know you are going to love reading as much as I do.  You will have a life-long passion for learning.  I just hope you don't outsmart me and your Dad...too much.

I love how sensitive you are to other people's feelings.  When one of your brothers is crying you pat his arm or give him a hug.  You always ask for extra treats to pass out to your brothers.

I could never have imagined a baby as wonderful as you.  You and your brothers are the lights of my life.  I am so lucky to be your Mommy.  I love you.

Mom

Three Hundred Posts!

Holy cow...300 already?! Where has the time gone? I started this blog as a scared, newly pregnant woman as a way to keep everyone in the loop about the pregnancy.  Our trio was barely the size of 3 poppy seeds but a lot was happening! The blog was great because I could post details about doctor visits and ultrasounds without having to make a dozen phone calls.  I had no idea just how helpful and wonderful the blog would be for me. It gave me a place to vent and share. It helped me connect with other moms of multiples. And now it's just a great way to document our lives.  Someday I hope the kids read the blog and love reading about all the fun we've had.  For the next 3 posts I want to write a letter to each child highlighting all the joy and magic they bring to our lives.  Raise a glass to 300 posts and many more ahead!  Cheers!

First Trick-or-Treat

Technically the triplets' first and second Halloweens were 2010 and 2011.  The first year they were "3 Peas in a Pod" and last year they were "3 Monkeys".  But both times they were too young to actually go out and collect candy door to door.  This year they are nearly 3 years old and definitely ready!  We practiced saying "trick or treat" and the kids were really excited about free candy.  We picked Wizard of Oz for this year's theme. Sarah dressed as Dorothy, Jake as the Scarecrow, and Luke as Tin Man.  They were so adorable!  All three really enjoyed going house to house.  Jake enjoyed it the most!  He was having so much fun he didn't want to stop!  He fought going home.  Overall they collected a bunch of candy even though we only went to the houses on our street.  The kids have eaten some of it already.  But Kurt and I have had a lot more!

Precious Dorothy

Handsome Scarecrow

Adorable Tin Man

The trio with bags of candy in hand

Everyone is happy except Jake

Candy Collectors!

Boo at the Zoo and a festival too!

Fall is my absolute most favorite season!  It is also the busiest!  There are so many fun things to do like Georgia football games, visit pumpkin patches, pick apples, dress up for Halloween and more.  I always find myself cramming as much as possible into these fall weekends because there are just not enough of them!

This weekend was no exception.  We planned to see an outdoor movie our neighborhood was coordinating on Friday night, take the kids to their school fall festival on Saturday morning, move appliances from our old house to our new house Saturday afternoon, watch the football game Saturday night, and join some friends at the zoo on Sunday.  We ended up skipping the movie on Friday night but everything else we did!  We are exhausted!  But we had a ball doing it.  More to come next weekend I am sure...

From the kids' school fall festival ~ Every room had arts and crafts or snacks for the kids.  Each had a fall theme like using popcorn and fall confetti to make music shakers, or using Nilla wafers and Hershey Kisses to make acorns.  One project had the kids making spin art with fall colors.  Another project had them using pine-cones to make turkeys.  Some of the rooms even had fun stuff like face painting and balloon animals.

The kids making fall "music" shakers 

Sarah working on some fall art

The trio decorating pumpkins

After all the arts and crafts just some plain old fun!

From Boo at the Zoo ~ The weather was absolutely perfect for a trip to the zoo!  We got there early so it wasn't very crowded.  Most of the animals were out and active so the kiddos had a blast seeing all the animals from their books.  We saw flamingos, parakeets, warthogs, meerkats, a rhino, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, an elephant, a lion, a tiger, monkeys, gorillas, bears, pandas, kangaroos, and more.  The kids haven't stopped talking about it yet!  We visited the zoo with another couple we know from college and their adorable two year old.  Fun, fun, fun!

As Lucas says "mingos!"

Watching the elephant run back to his hideout

They are pretty sure one of these does not belong in the nest

Daddy gives Sarah a boost for a better view

This panda was actually grinning

Too tired to even eat his snack

Try Trikes

The trio is starting to outgrow their Mickey Mouse and firetruck "ride-ons".  They absolutely adore the scooter we got free from Pampers.  So we thought it might be time to look at tricycles for the kids.  We found 3 in excellent shape at the Gwinnett Moms of Multiples Sale and Nana offered to buy them.  Overall, Sarah is doing the best learning to pedal.  The boys still do not have the hang of it but Luke is closer than Jake.  Below are some pics of them riding.  Sorry they are blurry- they were moving too fast to take good pics!