Crazy, Zany Day At The Zoo

Today we visited Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. It's the second time we've been there and it's a great zoo. Unfortunately we got to the giraffes late and weren't able to feed them (which is my favorite part about this zoo - feed a giraffe?! How cool is that??!) Otherwise, it was a, well, you'll see...

Checking out the orangutans - the girls loved to watch any animal that they could actually see moving - Rachel wanted to climb right in and play :)



Somehow they had clothes:



And the ability to order pizza...



The kids watching the fish and the manatee - the girls would actually follow them as they swam past the glass - it was quite cute!



The manatee up close - he (or she) was doing a somersault.



Kaitlyn and Caleb in front of a black bear.



All of us lined up in front of the giraffes - we were quite a group but not many people noticed the triplets - I'm beginning to think it's actually the stroller that attracts attention and not the babies themselves.



And the giraffes I like so much.



"Africa" was the best part of the zoo - for some weird reason we didn't see any tigers or lions :( How weird is that?




The kids taking a camel ride:



The day was going pretty well until this happened:



And this...



Which then required a lot of running with no umbrellas and a lot of wet. Here are Rachel and I right before we were finally getting into the van - don't we look a mess??



Either way the girls ended up like this:



And this on the ride home.

Congratulations Daniel and Kim!!!! (6-7-08)

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Rehearsal Dinner

Wow, today has been a busy, busy day. But that's what weddings do - they take up your entire weekend :) At least this should be Daniel's only wedding. Ha ha!

Yes, lots and lots of pictures from today and trust me, plenty more tomorrow :)

First pictures: The rehearsal dinner hall before everyone arrived - my mom and I worked on it yesterday - looks okay but this is not where my talent lies!

(Please scroll over pictures for some captions...)

No, I am not a bridesmaid. While I always thought I would be in my brother's wedding I was disappointed to find that I was not asked to stand for him. At least my daughter and son get a chance to be there for him :)

And here's some cute video of Kaitlyn and Caleb coming down the aisle followed by Kim and her dad:



Wondering about the bridal music? Yea, well, my brother moonlights as a superhero :) This is Kim's tribute to him. No, not really, she has something against the traditional wedding march?? Not sure what though, sorry.

Bad Hair Day

What my hair looks like if I don't straighten it - poofy. Oh and Julianna's hair wasn't looking so great either :)

Wondering where Alyssa gets her curls?

I normally don't like posting pictures of myself but I had to share how straight my hair gets with my new dryer/brush/straightener - looks SOOOOO much better!

Welcome New Babies!!

In the triplet world we all kind of know each other or find each other some way and recently I had the privilege of meeting and visiting in the hospital my new friend, Amanda. At 24 weeks she was admitted to the hospital on the same floor that I spent 6 weeks on. As it happens she was two doors down from my great friend, Laura who is thankfully still on the floor fighting for little Ellie's life. Praise God she has made it to 26 weeks. We are praying for many more weeks for this little life!!

As it turns out, Amanda is no longer on that floor. On Monday she gave birth to three tiny little boys and we couldn't be happier for her!!

Please welcome:

Zachary Robert McDonald 15 5/8", 2 lb 14 oz
Nicholas Edward McDonald 15 1/2", 2 lb 12 oz
Benjamin Miles McDonald 16", 2 lb 11 oz

They join big sister Anna to make the Six McDonalds! Check out her blog for pictures and updates.

Congratulations Amanda and Ted! I can't wait to meet the new little boys :)

Aimless Ramblings

Since I spent the day feeling absolutely miserable:

Headache, fever, nausea, mild vomiting, triplets dancing on stomach...

I have no pictures to share. Instead I'll share a few things I've been meaning to for a while.

I will try to list what the girls can say. Please bear in mind that I can hardly remember one day to the next so I'm sure this isn't a comprehensive list :)

Julianna: (she seems to be a few months ahead of her sisters in vocabulary and seems to say a new word every day)

Baby (she can even bottle feed a baby doll - it's very cute)
Mommy/Daddy
Grandma/Grandpa
Ball
Bye-bye (added bonus of the wave)
Juice
*****Added 6/3****** (Told you I'd forget):
No
Shoes
This
Nana (for banana - of course she also says this when she means her blanket so it's hard to tell :) ).

(They can all sign "more" and "all done")

Rachel:
The thing about Rachel is that she doesn't talk much. Really she just doesn't say a lot. She can say "mama" if I ask her too. She waves bye-bye. But when I sit down to write what she can say I can't remember. How sad is that?

Alyssa:
She's our perpetual cheerleader. This I didn't hear but apparantly she can clap and say "good girl" when her sisters do something well - it happened in nursery on Sunday. Alyssa is a natural born encourager - she claps for others and cheers them on. She dances a lot. She also says the good stuff like mama and daddy.

I've also been dying to share a few new cool things:

Kirk got this for me for mother's day:

Infiniti by Conair

I was very skeptical at first that it would actually work. It doesn't look like a flat iron (which is what I asked for) and I already had a hair dryer. But it actually works! My hair has never been so straight. It's three steps in one: drying, brushing and flat ironing. I love it!!

And, today, I tried a brand new product that works really well and will be a HUGE timesaver:



I've been using Veet for a while because I don't wax and I HATE razors. So when I saw the commercial for in the shower Veet I was skeptical. But I used it and it was soooo easy. Slap it on, get in the shower, rub it off. Smooth and simple. I'm addicted!

And that concludes today's aimless ramblings :)

Officially Summer

I know summer doesn't technically begin till the 21st but seriously who believes that June is in the spring?? I didn't think so!!

I finally got some pictures of the girls in their swimsuits. We did make it in the pool but since I was in there I couldn't get any. Enjoy these shots of them poolside and maybe in a few days I'll get a chance to get them "swimming" - they all seem to enjoy the water a lot!

Bathing Beauties: The "twins" - don't they look so much more alike? I know they're not identical (different bloodtypes) but they look more alike every day - except for the hair of course...



Playing in a bucket.



Julianna's a cutie :)



All three with grandma on the swing. She doesn't look like a grandma does she? Certainly not a grandma of 5!!



Poolside dining...



More of mommy's poolside food service: bagels with cream cheese and peaches. Did they eat it? Of course not, they don't eat anything. Even my mom has asked me like ten times how they're still alive :)

Spiderman, Spiderman

Does whatever a Spiderman can...
























Is he a riot or what? Yes, that actually is Caleb :) He looked so real he freaked his sisters out a bit. Alyssa wouldn't go anywhere near him for a while. Then they thought he was cool and gathered around him.

I tried to get video but it came out really dark. I'll post it here only because the ending is visible and it makes me laugh. So funny!

They're In The Pool!

Wondering what the bigger kids are doing here in Florida? Well, when they're not playing Nintendo DS they are in pool. While it's really hot here - almost 90 - the pool is not that warm and in fact feels pretty cold so I haven't gotten in as much as I would have liked nor have I gotten the babies in - I'd hate for them to turn blue! When I have extra hands we'll all go in and enjoy the pool some more.

But Kaitlyn and Caleb seem not to mind at all:



Caleb is the prince and Kaitlyn is riding his dolphin escort...



Is that a strange fish or what??



How Caleb swims - on a noodle - he won't go under water because "I forget to hold my nose" - even a reminder from mom wouldn't change his mind...



Laying in the sun to dry off - how cute are they? They even ordered up a snack of fresh grapes while they lay out. Mommy, butler and cook, at your service :)

What I've Learned

It’s only taken 4 days for me to learn a few things:

1. 5 kids, one cold pool and one mom don’t mix – reinforcements are necessary – it takes me a good hour to get in as it is.

2. Tennis balls create endless entertainment – bounce and chase, bounce and chase

3. Libraries are awesome! Why didn’t I think of this before? Free books for all ages of kids plus toys to play with and small chairs to sit on – I love it, we will go again and again.

4. Grandpas are great to take along to libraries – they have a special knack for chasing small children

5. Trying to go down to one nap a day after a huge change is very difficult – they are doing it because they have to but I am HATING it – they are so cranky in the morning and if Rachel wasn’t bad enough before, well, she’s really bad now. With my other two they kind of naturally made the change themselves but with the girls I’m forcing it because it has to be done eventually and what better time when Grandpa is around all morning and Grandma is around all night? The real problem is that Julianna and Alyssa are quite ready but Rachel is not and I am NOT having a baby up at all times – I would quickly go insane.

6. Weddings are expensive! So far I’ve spent the money it takes to get to Florida and with gas prices how they are it was a lot, about $300 on kids wedding clothes, plus wedding gifts. How in the world am I going to pay for 4 of these??

7. Kirk is essential to my sanity – this has only taken me half a day to learn :) Kirk flew home this morning and made it safely which is great but he is no longer here and we all miss him. Thankfully he’ll be back again next week.

My Dad's Birthday

Today is my dad's birthday. We had the party yesterday but since I had no card I decided to wait till today and hopefully this post will take its place (yes, I got him a gift - I just didn't realize we were having the party yesterday...). A very Happy Birthday to my Dad. I love you so much and I'm glad we got to be here for his special day :)

Here are some pictures from the party and from Memorial Day and from our first real full day here (Sunday was church):

Wondering how it's going here? The girls are cranky and not sleeping well. We are trying to adjust them to one nap a day and they aren't too happy about it. Kirk leaves in the morning and I'm really nervous. The girls like the pool and being outside just a bit too much which leads to massive screaming fits when they come inside. Hopefully they will adjust over the coming days and things will get easier. At least I'm hoping for that - I'll let you know!!

It's Only A Recommendation

- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children under the age of 2 watch 0 hours of TV.

- Yesterday my girls watched 12 hours of TV including 6 hours of Elmo alone

- The AAP recommends that children under age 2 have 6 to 8 ounces of juice a day.

- Yesterday my girls had 16 to 20 ounces of juice.

- The AAP recommends that children under age 8 remain strapped into a carseat while the vehicle in motion

- Yesterday my kids remained painfully strapped into carseats for 16 hours despite their massive protests

- The AAP recommends that children under age 2 take at least one two hour nap a day.

- Yesterday my girls took two hours worth of naps total and combined - Rachel took 3 twenty minute naps, Alyssa took one and Julianna took one thirty minute nap. Yep, that was my total break.

On the bright side we made it safely to Florida and to Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was a long and painful trip - at least the last few hours were most painful and confirm my desire NOT to try and make the trip at night. It was 10 PM and Rachel was crying every three minutes - she did NOT go to sleep for any stretch of time. Julianna fell asleep at 9:30 and slept till we arrived at 11, Alyssa fell asleep at 10 and woke up again about 10:45 - she was wide awake when we arrived. Somehow I don't see any of them sleeping all night as we drove because remember we had gotten them up at 6:30 AM and none of them had slept more than an hour for the entire day.

So, we are here. Today the girls had their first swim in the pool since last year and they all LOVED it. They will be swimming laps before we leave. The older two are fish as always and stalked the pool for hours before we actually let them in.

Pictures and updates to come. Right now I'm still recovering from yesterday. And thankfully the AAP has no idea what I'm doing with my kids at any moment in time. I'm sure yesterday's TV viewing has delayed my kids learning by at least the next two weeks but oh well, it got me here!!

Goodbye 2nd Grade...

I had every intention of putting up a really cool slide show about this past week since it was Kaitlyn's last week of 2nd grade BUT this week has been crazy, right now I should be packing (to quote Kirk "Are you blogging or doing something helpful?"), and I forgot my camera today at the awards ceremony anyway. I know, I know, where is my head??!!

The good thing is that she has successfully and with honors (as many honors as you can get in 2nd grade) passed the second grade and will be able to move on to the third grade next year! Yea, I'm so proud of her. I know people freak out about the beginning of things - like sending your child of to Kindergarten. I disagree - it's when the school year ends that you realize how much time has passed and just how big your kids are getting. My oldest will be 8 in two months!! Okay, that's not a lot to some of you but to me it's hard to believe that 8 years has almost passed since I welcomed my first child into the world. Toddlers I can handle but this, this is different yet so wonderful.

Kaitlyn is totally into animals - LOVES them. Anything and everything animals. I love that she has her own likes and dislikes. Hates having her hair done in case you're wondering why it's always hanging down and doesn't care what she wears as long as it's comfortable and/or has animals on it. Lately she has become an avid blog reader (mine). She also likes to look through old pictures but since I haven't kept up on that lately she refers to the blog instead. Thus the blog question in my last video. Everything the babies do she says, "Take a picture, mom for your blog!" I can guarentee I did not ever speak these words to my mother... So, I will keep blogging knowing that my children will be reading in the years to come. It's kind of fun though. Even funnier when Kaitlyn quotes the blog back to me!

As for Caleb, he finished his first year of preschool. He's 4 so this isn't an emotional time - he'll be in preschool next year. He's cool with it. On a different note he may be in Kindergarten. He did very well this year and the teacher says if he can read three letter words by the end of the first 9 weeks she would recommend moving him up to Kindergarten! This is pretty cool because he only misses the cut off by about a month since he has a November birthday and I've always hated that he falls 4 years behind Kaitlyn in school when they are only 3 years apart. If you're wondering, I have no plans to put the triplets a year ahead in Kindergarten - that's too much stress on me. They have each other and don't need to get to school any earlier then their age allows.

We'll see how next year goes. As for now, we have 3 full months off - from Memorial Day to Labor Day. No time for leisure here, we have a 17 hour drive ahead of us starting at 6 AM tomorrow...

Tons of pictures later - when I get them e-mailed from someone else of course but also from Florida. Gotta go get the van packed or at least make some sort of attempt to help Kirk finish :)

At Least I Didn't Have To Call 9-1-1

But, more drama although this time it wasn't triplet related. Caleb swallowed a very small key today. I'm sure it will pass but he still had to see the doctor and get X-rayed at the hospital tonight to make sure it wasn't lodged anywhere wrong. It wasn't but it sure did put a kink in our day...

I hadn't planned to blog tonight but because of Caleb and more fun video I had to share:



Don't miss Caleb sharing his adventure for the day! This was pre X-ray but after taking him tonight there was no sign of the key - either it's already in his stomach or it was never there. I believe him when he says he swallowed it - we were having a discussion about not putting magnets in our mouths this morning so I was not surprised that he had something else in there. Go figure - things say for 3 and up right? How is that a 4 1/2 year old who hasn't put stuff in his mouth since he was 2 manage to swallow a diary key now??!!

I Can Do It!!

So, in between rain storms - seriously where do we live right now? - this rain just hasn't stopped!! - we managed to get an hour outside with our friends Grace and Lauren. While most of the time was spent in the swings, some of it was in the wagon and for Julianna, on the roller coaster. Get a load of this...



Isn't that great? I love when they can do things by themselves :)

And here's Rachel after she climbed up (also by herself) to the top of the play ground...





And here's Alyssa in the much-loved blue swing. Here's the thing. We have one of these and three babies. Even though we have other swings this is the one they want and the one they fight over. And if one of them gets in she does NOT want out. They aren't dummies...



This was Alyssa's turn and she wouldn't give it up :) Notice Rachel in the back. Fortunately only Julianna ended up covered in mud.

Sleepovers

This weekend was a fun first for Caleb. He went to his first sleepover! I think he had a great time and he didn't miss me one bit. It was with his friend Liam - they are both 4 years old and I've known Liam's mom, Kathy for about 10 years. We've been through a lot together so it is just the coolest thing ever that our boys are teh same age and get a chance to spend the night together and be friends :)

Here's some pictures she sent - LOVE them...



They slept in a tent in Liam's room - how cute are they?



And with Liam's little brother, Jesse. I hear that Caleb was much nicer to him then Liam :) All those sisters are softening him!



Don't worry - Kaitlyn wasn't left out. She had a friend over too but as it wasn't her first and I'm apparantly more lazy then Kathy :) - I have no pictures. But, trust me, she had fun and got no sleep!

18 Months!!!!!

A year and a half has already gone by since the girls were born. It doesn't seem possible. It feels like just days ago they were born and they were these tiny little things that were so fragile it felt like their chicken legs would break at a touch. Now they are older and sturdier. Babbling, running, jumping, climbing, anything but fragile.

The house is louder now. There's a lot of fighting, grunting and crying. We have begun temper tantrums and they are VERY verbal about what they want. I know they're trying to talk but I don't know what they're saying most of the time so we suffice with pointing and grunting and I'm okay with that. Listening to two older kids talk and talk makes me in no hurry for these girls to speak in sentences.

As for the girl's "stats" they saw the doctor today and they are all doing well. We do have to keep an eye on Rachel because she is so small and we want to make sure that she's getting all her nutrients. Mostly it's a concern that she drinks so little. While Julianna and most of the time Alyssa can down 9 ounces of milk in a matter of minutes, Rachel has no problems taking a sip and passing on her cup or throwing it to the floor (this we are working on) so we have to encourage her to drink but as everyone knows there's only so much you can do...


Julianna weighs a whopping 24.14 pounds! Kids big (for us) putting her in the 65th percentile for weight. She's in the 75th percentile for height and 85th for head circumference. She's doing quite well :) This is a picture of Julianna doing her two favorite things: wrapping a tab blanket (must have tabs) around her shoulders like a shawl and coloring.












Rachel weighs just 20.8 pounds - so tiny. Puts her in the 5th percentile for weight and that is down from last time when she was in the 10th - she's also only put on one pound in 3 months. For height she's in the 20th percentile (that's something) and for head she's 10th. All around very tiny girl.






Alyssa is where she's always been and that's right in the middle - she weighs 22.15 pounds which puts her down in the 35th percentile (she seems to go up and down in the weight area - last time she was 50th percentile and before that 35th - the doctor's not concerned). She's 50th for height and 92% for head. I'm not sure how she ended up with the biggest head but that's what they're telling me!

One of the best things about having multiples at a check-up is all their stats are more accurate :) I remember last time they said Rachel was taller then Julianna! We're like, there is no way - we see them every day and we know that Julianna is taller. Upon remeasure we were proven right. Same this time when Rachel was briefly taller then Alyssa. I don't put much stock in their heights since it's always the lay down and mark method. She moved Rachel twice before she finally got it. All that matter is she's actually growing. I'll take that!

Those are my girls. Born on the same day yet so entirely different.

To My Friend, Joanna

Today is my very good friend, Joanna's birthday. I just want to wish her a very Happy Birthday. She is a great friend. She's the one that coordinated all my care while I was on bed rest with the girls and beyond. Her oldest daughter and Caleb share a birthday though not a birth year.

We have been through some great times together and I just want to let her know how awesome she is and I hope she has a really happy birthday and a really great coming year. Love you girl!

Grocery Game Tracker Week 5

Since we will be going out of town next week I'll make this my last week on the subject. A few things I have learned:

1. The Grocery Game saves a lot of time
2. Using the Grocery Game as indicated saves way more money then using coupons alone
3. Using coupons at the wrong time mean missing out on a free item later
4. The system isn't perfect and there have been plenty of times were the sale wasn't actually there or the coupon was different, etc.
5. It's a great way to stock up on things like ziploc bags, detergent, toothpaste, medicine, toilet paper, paper towels, etc. I can now avoid all of these items at BJ's - seriously.

How did I do today? Probably the best trip ever. I spent $54.55 at Harris Teeter and saved over $34. This doesn't include milk this time but I am completely stocked up on Ziploc bags and tupperware containers - each of them cost me less then $.50! I got some Glade Air Freshener spray for $.50 a thing. I got so much stuff on sale and cheap.

My overall verdict is that it really works and does save a lot of time. Maybe not on individual groceries but on all those stock-up kinds of items. In the end it will cut down on my BJ's list and save me lots of money there.

As for my meals this week:

Monday: Meatloaf with rice and broccoli - all things I already had at the house
Tuesday: Pasta with sausage - remember I got that on sale last week
Wednesday: Hamburgers and corn and baked beans - I only had to buy the buns
Thursday: Okay, I admit I just can't think that far ahead right now so I have no idea but I do know I have enough stuff in this house from the past few weeks to come up with something great!
And then it's the weekend and as always it's a wing-it, eat-out, eat leftovers kind of time - too much going on for meal prep!