Best Kind of Calendar

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Caught Being Silly

As the year is coming to a close I wanted to share a few pictures of the girls from different days over the last month or so when I caught them being a little goofy or I just found them in random places. Sometimes I dare to leave them alone for a while (so I can go to the bathroom or brush my teeth - you know, the little things!) and when I come back to find them again they are doing something crazy. Like the time Caleb left the garage door open and I found all three of them in the garage! They had each gotten down the two steps and onto the hard cement floor and they were heading towards the wood pile. Turn my back for a second... Anyway, I hope you get a little laugh.

In case you're wondering - they are eating cheerios out of the play table. No, the cheerios didn't stay in there long. The first thing Alyssa did was rub her hands in them and shake them all out. But there were enough left on the bottom for the three of them to share and I just had to snap some pictures - such a riot!

I Have A Moonbounce In My Living Room

And other Christmas stories by Dorinda Nelson

So, I kind of guessed what my brother and sister-in-law had mailed us and it was a moonbounce! Being from Florida they thought we could set it up outside and let the kids play but what they failed to realize is that it's about 30 degrees up here and no kids are playing outside especially when there's (sadly) no snow.

Here's some photos of our moonbounce blown up in the middle of the living room. The thing is so big that it touches the couch and that's where the opening is so it makes it interesting for the kids to get in and out but at least the babies aren't falling on the floor :)

Kaitlyn and Alyssa:



Alyssa being goofy:



Rachel was so excited to "fall" out of the moonbounce on to the couch:



How the living room looks when the thing is blown up: (It's massize and no, it won't be staying in the living room for long - in the summer it will be fun to use outside and the kids are looking forward to that.)



And I had to include some video of the triplets bouncing. Partly because it's cute but mostly because I know my brother and sister-in-law would love to see it. Enjoy!



As for the rest of Christmas it went very well. I wrapped presents for what felt like a week in advance and then as is our tradition we put all the gifts under the tree on Christmas Eve so that on Christmas morning the kids wake up and find their pile of gifts.

With just "one" Christmas - in other words, no seperate one for grandparents or other relatives the kids got a load of gifts under the tree. Plus, I wrap things seperately - every book, game, etc. so that they have more to open. Christmas morning only lasts so long!



Just before the unwrapping started:



Kaitlyn got some Littlest Pet Shop - her favorite.



Caleb got some "boy" toys:



Kaitlyn got a new chair for her room - not on her list but she loves it and she needed it - now she has a place to sit and read all those new books...



One of Caleb's most desirable gifts! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa :)



As for the triplets, they didn't seem to care a lot for Christmas. They were very interested in their toys especially when daddy was putting them together but I didn't get any pictures of them - oops!! I will attempt to take some with their new toys in the days to come. They each got a little Fisher Price chair and I'm hoping to actually get them sitting down in it but my house has been overrun for the past few days and is a disaster so once I climb out of the mess I'm in I will focus on other things like pictures :)

And in other good news, I got Kirk a new digital camera and it records sound so now I'll actually be able to record things like Rachel's annoying grunting sounds and the girl's crying. See all that you have to look forward to!

Merry Christmas one last time.

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

And all through the house, lots of creatures are stirring, mostly the cat. That and mom and dad attemtpting to get ready for the big day tomorrow. Our first "real" Christmas with five kids. Last year didn't quite count. Although my mom was here last year and that was so nice. This year it's "just" the seven of us :)

After much debate and trial over lots of strollers we finally got a new one and it's a triple-wide jogging stroller. This thing is great! It turns easily, has a huge basket it in the bottom and the girls are all up "front" so there's no complaining on their end about that. The downside is that it is too wide to fit into most doors and is almost too big for the back of our van. Another reason we could use a bigger vehicle but that is a whole other debate!

So, for me, Christmas came a bit early:



I think the girls like it too:



And Kaitlyn singing tonight at church at our Christmas Eve service - so beautiful!



All the kids:



With all the kids dressed in their Christmas picture best I tried getting some pictures but once again, it is a huge chore to get all 5 kids to sit still and cooperate. I got a good pictures of Alyssa though:



More pictures tomorrow! I hope you all have a wonderful day...

School Christmas Party

After last night's "big" extravaganza today at school was essentially a play day or the school class parties where you give gifts to the class and the teacher.

I do need to add that Caleb piped up during last night's program with "Are we done yet?" (yes, right in the middle). He also asked me after it was over if we had any money. When I asked why he said he wanted to buy some cookies. He's so cute. Everyone brought cookies to share - they were free.

Then this morning when I got him up for the party he told me that his favorite time at school are party days and days where he does a play and just has to sit there for a short time :) He cracks me up all the time even though he's very serious in all he does and so matter-of-fact. It isn't any kid that can actually take the attention away from his triplet sisters!

So, here are some pictures from today. All the classrooms decorated their doors for the holiday based on a different country. They were then "judged" this morning. Kaitlyn's class had Germany and won "most informative" - yea, because it was covered in facts about Germany and not much else :) Caleb's class got "most original" or something like that. His teacher did a great job and had her three kids lay down and traced them.

Joseph and an Angel

Also known as Caleb and Kaitlyn. Tonight was the kids Christmas program at school and although it was very short the kids were adorable. Trust me on this even though you'll notice in the pictures that Caleb would NOT smile. That's just him.

My angel Kaitlyn before the big play:



And this is Caleb in his awesome Joseph costume (a very nice robe from Target - did they have those in Bethlehem??!!)



Performing



Two "Angels"



Mary and Joseph - aaaahh!!



The whole crew (like I said - it's a small school but the kids love it)



And just what were the triplets doing while the play was going on? Funny you should ask - I caught a bit on "video" (my camera has no sound - sorry). At least you can tell that they are walking quite a bit better :)

6 Days Till Christmas

So, my idea was to try and take a picture of the girls playing somewhere near the tree but if the video wasn't on they were crying and if it was they would only look that way and not at me.

The girls love to climb up on the fireplace and shake the doors. Julianna is the loudest but Rachel does her share. Here she wanted to play but couldn't help herself - she had to watch the video too. This one is a new one - we opened our present from Grandpa and Grandma early :)



Will anybody look at me? The gift behind them is from their Uncle Daniel and soon-to-be Aunt Kim. What in the heck did they ship to us? It's as heavy as it is big. Stay tuned for Christmas Day.



And without the video... They're staring at Daddy trying to figure out whether or not they should laugh or cry.

Pray For This Family

In the triplet world we often know people through e-mail or blogs and not always in person. As such, when I was on bedrest last year I met a friend in Alabama. Her triplets were born a few weeks earlier then mine. Other then one of them staying in the hospital for two months they were all heatlthy and are now home and fine.

Recently she e-mailed me to pray for a family that is friends with someone in her church. I'd like you all to check out your story and remember this family in your prayers.

Kelli became spontaneously pregnant with identical quadruplet girls. Unfortunately due to complications she gave birth to these girls at just 24 weeks. Baby A, B and D did not survive. Only Baby C, Callie is still alive. Please check out their story and remember them in your prayers. Even though I don't know them they are in my thoughts:

http://meddersfamily.googlepages.com/home

You Know You Blog Too Much When...

Anyone who blogs just a little can relate to the small amount of stress that occurs when you need to come up with a new blog entry. This was happening to me the other day so I thought I'd pass along a few thoughts.

You Know You Blog Too Much When...

- you spend your day coming up with catchy blog titles ("My Day" can only be used so often)

- you don't actually go to the zoo or the museum or even Disney World to enjoy it - it makes a really good blog entry

- on the same token, pictures are more like "photo-ops" to be added to the blog and spice up the story

- a bad day isn't really a bad day - it's just another good blog entry

- your kid's childhood is basically just the blog - you have no other pictures (or baby books) to prove they exist

- you create situations at home or while out to make the blog more interesting

- you force your kids to be funny (or just walk) so you can capture it on video - for the blog of course

- some of your friends don't really exist except in the comment section (and we feel very lonely when we don't get comments!!)

- you e-mail yourself blog ideas for later so you don't forget or write your ideas down somewhere else to have on hand for an "off" day

- you stress over how often to blog - is every day too much? every other day? do people want to read it that often? if you get a good post how long do you wait before doing another - after all you want everyone to read it right?

And, yes, I have been blogging too much :)

"Portraits" of 13 Month Old Triplets

Julianna Mabel Nelson: Still has a scar on her forehead and is still the most crazy of the three. She is hugely attached to a few people and if they don't give her the full attention she wants she will lose it (definitely includes mom) Her emotions are a roller coaster - if she likes something she will grin from ear to ear and bounce and giggle - quite adorable. If she doesn't like it then we know immediately with a temper tantrum. The good part is that she's getting more cuddly by the day - there's nothing better then when she lays her head down on my shoulder. Who can pass on that??!!




Food: likes bananas and waffles and pancakes, grilled cheese sandwiches and lasagna but LOVES milk - whether a bottle or sippy cup she loves to drink.

Teeth: Still has eight.

Walking: She's making progress but really loves to use a walker of any kind. However she is the most determined, when she falls down she pushes herself right back up. She's always throwing herself into the next thing. Headstrong and first - I thought she'd be the first to walk but I was quite wrong on that.



Rachel Gabrielle Nelson: She seems to be the most complex and definitely the most cranky. When she is content she can sit and play quietly and make herself giggle with a toy. She is the one who lets us know it's time to eat and time to take a nap. She really likes her mom but not enough to cuddle except when we're watching TV and she'll let herself lay back on me to look up and watch. She still prefers to be held looking out. I would have to say she's the daredevil of the group and would love to throw herself off just about everything she can find. I think she'll be my gymnast :) She's my morning person - I know she's always up the earliest but she sleeps the best during the day.



Food: She LOVES food - can't shovel it in fast enough but she hates to drink. She'll eat just about anything I eat but if she doesn't like it you can bet it's getting chucked over the side of her highchair. This is usually her milk after her first sip (unless it's in her bottle) - once her cup is gone if she gets thirsty she just steals from Alyssa. Why not?

Teeth: Still has four. Even though she was the last to get teeth I now can't remember those toothless smiles...

Walking: She's really good. She's too small to be walking but she does it anyway.



Alyssa Elaine Nelson: Strangely the quietest and loudest all at the same time. She is generally the most content and the most cuddly but when she is upset she can wake the dead. She requires the least amount of sleep and lets me know it every day. The funnest time is to watch her sit and read a book - the others do too but she seems to examine every page. When the TV comes on she is the most attentive and doesn't move a muscle until the video is over. She could be held and carried by anybody. So far she's also the only one that dances and makes funny moves. We have a special little kiss where I will lean my head into her and she will lean into me and we just touch heads and cuddle. So cute. She also loves to stick out her tongue as she's working on something. I'll work on getting a picture of that!



Food: She's not the best eater but not the worst :) She picks things apart carefully and her mouth is never stuffed. She has her likes and if she doesn't like it she will eat around it. She loves Yogos. They all like real food such as lasagna and enchiladas which is unusual since the older two don't. As for drink, Alyssa does okay - again, in between but she's not the middle triplet!

Teeth: Alyssa now has 6 teeth!! Three on top and three on bottom but the newest two do not line up which I find kind of funny. Top right and bottom left :)

Walking: Also doing a great job - she'll be running soon. She enjoys climbing up the blocks and sliding down them head first.

And that is how I see the girls at 13 months. Someday I'll get to use this blog as a reference for myself and remember how they were. Maybe they'll read it and laugh at how they were then. I'm not sure but right now I'm celebrating the fact that I have survived a month longer than a year.

Sometimes life ends at that "big" moment - the wedding day, the birthday whatever. I forget there is life beyond. Now I have proof that I can survive past a year! Here's to another month.

(Pictures courtesty of Baby Faith video in the car - yep, they work great there too! Julianna throws a fit when we turn the car off.)

Christmas Party

What else could it be but the moms of multiples Christmas party? The girls are our ticket in but yet they don't seem so happy to be there :) At least not Rachel - who screamed the whole time!

It was at the House of Bounce and the kids had a great time bouncing and then we had a visit from "Santa" who happened to have a book for everyone. Hmmmm, wonder how that happened...

So, for a glimpse of the day:



The older two on "Santa's" lap - this is as good as it gets - we don't do mall Santas. And the triplets on his lap - yea, no way - we were miserable enough as it was.

Julianna's having a good time:



Rachel proving me wrong - she did smile at least once:



Alyssa's hitting the coffee pretty hard:



Another set of triplets (the one that doesn't look like the others is their older sister - okay, mom Jennifer is there too):



And enjoying their new books:



I use the word enjoy loosely:



Merry Christmas from the Nelson family and please remember that Jesus is the true reason for the season! God bless.

Allergies

My last few weeks have been dealing with allergies. Not that we have any just that someone might. It's been a HUGE pain in the neck.

First, it's been me - I've been struggling with hives and no one knows why. I'm not allergic to anything, I've even been tested by the doctor but yet my body doesn't seem to know that!!

Then it was Rachel at the birthday party. She had a small reaction on her face from the cake (we think). We put a little Benadryl cream on it and it seemed to go away. We mentioned it to the doctor and it was off for a blood draw. The test results were normal and Rachel is fine.

Then it was Julianna who had a reaction in her, um, diaper area. We think it might have been juice so we stopped her juice and treated her and it seemed to go away. Now we are in the process of slowly introducing other juice to see if she gets another reaction. The last one was sooo bad - her screaming and fighting would break your heart (and as most of you know I'm not the most emotional person but this was just really hard) - I don't want a repeat of that.

Lastly it is Alyssa. She currently has a rash all over her body. Just kind of appeared out of nowhere. We have no idea why. I took her to the doctor today and it's not contagious and is probably not a food allergy but may be a reaction to her follow-up flu shot on Friday (the rash started about 24 hours after) or the end of a virus. She doesn't seem to be at all bothered by it and has no other symptoms (fever or anything) but yet she's completely covered with all these little red bumps.

So, our allergy saga seems ridiculous. My mother has lots of allergies and so far none of us do but this lack of allergies hasn't seemed to stop our drama! Welcome to the Nelson family where life is never simple or boring!

Finally!!!!

After a few weeks of taking steps I have finally been able get some video of the girls walking. Rachel is now doing the best and walking the most but no one is only walking. And, man am I ready for that!!

This is Rachel walking but be sure to watch the whole thing to catch Julianna's adorable smile!



Julianna's new favorite toy - the one thing that gets her off my legs and out of my arms! That and the videos :)



So, after watching her stand there for what felt like forever, she finally takes a step.



And with the final few seconds I had left on my camera's memory card I captured Alyssa taking some independent steps. Of course, I took all these yesterday and today the girls were walking everywhere. Go figure.

My New Lifesaver

Most of my days are spent peeling the girls off of me. When one gets upset whoever is closer clings to me so I don't pick up whoever is crying. Julianna is the most famous for this. Every morning the girls are awake and playing in their cribs before it's time to get them up to take the older two to school. This makes them quite cranky come 10:30 when it's naptime. Usually I just spend the last thirty minutes or so wanting to rip my hair out as I attempt to juggle all three girls and make them remotely happy.

Over Thanksgiving my parents were here and my dad suggested putting on some baby videos that we have had since Caleb was little. He loved them too but he's now too old and the girls have shown no interest in TV. We decided to pull them out and put them on. The girls have been mesmerized ever since. So, every morning before nap when we are all losing it I turn a DVD on and all six eyes are glued for a good twenty minutes! Sooooo nice...

My Christmas Wish List

I've been thinking about this for a while and I have come up with a list of things I would like for Christmas.

They include:

1. One day where no one screams. A day where I can wake up in the morning and not have to listen to three babies howling at me from every direction. This has never happened.

2. One day where all 5 kids eat. I mean, eat everything without prodding or complaining (the older 2). As for the triplets I'd settle for eating what's on their tray rather then what's on mommy's plate.

3. One day to have my house organized and stay that way. Instead of cleaning up and then turning around just to see the same mess all over again - I'd like it to remain clean.

4. One day where things work in my favor. At least the little things. Rachel and Alyssa suffer from a common childhood disorder: C.I.F. Never heard of it? It's called Camera Induced Falling. This is a condition where as soon as you get your camera out to film them doing something cute - right now it's them walking. As soon as I turn on the camera they fall down - every time. I swear they are walking but I have yet to get proof!!

5. One day with no fighting. Not over the toy phone or the straws or the cups and especially not over me (which is the most common among the girls). Julianna suffers from a much rarer condition: C.I.C. aka Crying Induced Cuddling. Basically this occurs when I am holding her and one of the other girls begins to cry. She realizes that this is her cue to cling tighter because she knows I'm going to put her down to pick someone else up. She's a smart cookie!

6. And lastly I want one day to enjoy my family. To celebrate Jesus' birthday together as we open up much desired gifts (on my kid's part) and get a chance to spend time and play together. I love Christmas and I love all that it means. May all of you enjoy a wonderful Christmas season with your family!

On a different note - one thing that did go right tonight - I got a picture of the girls on their new ride-on cars that were sent for their birthdays from Uncle Steve and Aunt Lori (Kirk's brother and sister-in-law) - thanks so much - they really love them!!

Wondering what Alyssa's holding? It's a phone. Yep, already a woman driver!! Of course, by the time she's actually old enough to drive this will certainly be outlawed. Aaah, the good old days...



Enough of this picture taking - Julianna is out of here! (Which reminds me - Julianna took about four steps on her own yesterday - this was her first attempt at walking).

Boys No More!!

One of the most asked questions I get when I'm out is basically what are they? I get a lot of guesses regardless of what the girls wear. If they even wear a bit of blue they are assumed to be all boys, two boys, at least one boy. Well, today I had the best experience. I ordered bows that actually stay in the girl's hair from Hair Clippy No Slippy. These are special bows that are guarenteed to stay in even the smallest amount of hair and for Rachel I have found no other bow that actually works.

So, today the girls went out in all blue with white bows in their hair and NO ONE thought they were boys. It was wonderful :) Our story is also going to be featured in the Hair Clippy No Slippy's website/catalogue in the future so I worked hard today to take some pictures and thanks to their new favorite DVD (God Made Animals) we were able to get them all to sit still long enough to take some photos. Enjoy the results - I think the girls look great :)

P.S. Alyssa and Rachel are walking quite a bit so my goal this weekend is to get it on video to put on the blog. Plus, I will keep you updated as to when the girl's pictures go public.