2nd Biggest Attraction At The Cherry Blossom Festival In DC

Not sure if it was the triplets or the "so-cute, adorable, way-to-travel, look-at-that, I've-never-seen-that-before" triplet wagon but either way we got pointed at and looked at and talked about and photographed about EVERYWHERE we went and since we walked a good 5 miles yesterday we saw a LOT of people.

But not to worry - the girls were quite thrilled with their fame. Rachel and Julianna actually began waving to passer-byers :) At one point Julianna said "friend take pictures of us!"

Great.

Here we are in the middle of DC with monuments all around and cherry blossoms in peak season which only happens once-a-year and yet we were the center of attention. Go figure.

Fortunately, it didn't deter us from seeing the sites. Besides, I can't blame anyone - my girls are pretty darn cute and the triple wagon is an awesome, life-saver!

The girls had a number of firsts yesterday: first real trip to DC and their first ride on the Metro - they loved both.

Getting ready to get on the train:



They all had a great time - of course it didn't take long for them to be bored of the trip and want off. Confirms my desire NOT to take a plane ride with them :)









Like any good Metro rider the girls spent their time reading the paper :)



After a long Metro ride and a small walk we made it down the tidal basin and the first of the cherry blossom trees.









We had a picnic lunch and then walked around the tidal basin:









Caleb taking a break on the walk - he had the hardest time walking all over the city poor thing. I said "thanks for sitting to take the picture" - he said, "no, thank you mom, my legs were tired and you asked me to sit some more and that helped my legs feel better."



After the tidal basin we walked to the FDR Memorial where the girls got to play in the waterfall.



Further proof that taking a picture of all 3 girls together is pretty much impossible.



Best friends.



The blooms were beautiful but the irony was not lost on me that we drove to the Metro then took the Metro then fought thousands of people to see the same trees that we have in our front yard :) It was worth it - this is definitely NOT in our front yard!



After the blossoms we made a "quick" treck over to the Lincoln Memorial. Kirk took the big kids up the stairs - I hung out with the girls at the bottom - I'm not that crazy :)





And the view from the Lincoln Memorial - such a beautiful area.



We finished our day at Potbelly's and then had some ice cream. I guess this is what we have to do to get them all to sit still in a shot :)







Our day started in line at the Metro 10:30 and ended at the same Metro close to 8 last night. We tried to get on in DC at about 6:15 but our great wagon was not allowed on the Metro during rush hour. Great right?

The girls favorite part of the whole day? The elevators :) I have no idea why but they really enjoyed all of them - so funny! They also enjoyed the train - I'm not sure if they noticed the trees...

Life These Days

I can't begin to express how long some days can be. Most days I barely sit down because it's not five seconds before someone else needs something. Blogging gets further and further from my mind. I have so many thoughts on motherhood in general but I don't get them written down like I'd like to. I'm getting there though.

Baby steps. One day at a time feels harder today then when they were little. I know that doesn't make sense. I really thought by now we'd have things down but it seems that everything times three is more and more complicated the more aware of things they are.



I have to admit that I am not perfect and neither is my home. It has been taken over by five little people and the evidence is everywhere. I try to have a schedule but that goes down the drain just about every day. Lately we spend our days playing dress-up, playing with ponies, playing games but not how they are intended to be played, playing puzzles and Mr. Potato Head. They also play house and serve their Webkinz meals.



Naps, we still do. Yes, they still sleep. Nap time is the only time of day that they are away from each other for an extended period of time. I think they look forward to it. No one is taking their toys. No one is screaming at them or declaring that the other must share. It's just them and the few things they choose to play with. What could be more relaxing?



Eating is still a challenge, as is taking a picture of all three of them together where they look at the camera and have a decent look on their faces. I'll save that sequence for another post - a bunch of crazy pictures with no decent outcome! Two seems to work okay as long as I show them the picture afterwards - that's what brought on the giggles this time around.



As hard as it is they are worth every second - all five of them. They make my life enjoyable and I love them all to pieces.

Look at these faces - how can you not?!









There's good and there's bad but either way life with triplets is NEVER boring!

Welcome Spring

For a while it seemed like winter would last forever but surprisingly once February was over the weather just kept warming up. It took a good 3 weeks for all the snow on our yard to melt but right now it's all gone and we've had very nice warm weather lately which has been great for all my consignment sales :)



Now that all of that is behind me it's time to get my house back in order and return to "normal" life!

More to post soon after you guess which photo was touched up by Kirk. Hmm...

Want To Get A Haircut?

I can't promise any good results but the price is low!





That's one happy customer! You too could have great results :)



She's not licensed but she's very good at brushing. Booking appointments now!

Notice the dresses? Oh yes, Julianna wears them every day or at least every day she can and she constantly asks if it is Sunday so she can wear a dress. If I say it's not Sunday she tries to talk me into a dress anyway. I guess I do have a girly girl on my hands!

Alyssa decided not to go to the beauty salon but she did agree to wear the dress for a little while. Certainly not as long as Julianna or Rachel :)

Sorry, Been Out Shopping

Hard to believe it's been a week since I posted. I have coordinated the moms of multiples sale and started volunteering once again at Classy Kids. To say I have been busy would be, well, an understatement. I enjoy it though. What's more fun than getting a great deal on things you need while also getting rid of the things you don't?! And I have gotten rid of quite a bit.

And picked up a few adorable things along the way.

The girls LOVED their new dresses. Julianna has taken to wearing dresses whenever she can - mostly dress-up ones but given the chance to wear a real one and she was all over it.



Alyssa and Rachel were willing to go along with Julianna's idea of a good time and had to try on their dresses too :) Notice that they do NOT match. I know, I know, what's up with that? But I'm trying to slowly move away from always matching. It's hard though - not for the cute factor but for the ease of picking out their clothes for the day. Hopefully soon they can pick it for themselves :)



But these dresses were just too beautiful to pass up. I got them a few more and they have already asked to wear them to church. If the weather continues to cooperate maybe they can!

What do you think? Too early to go individual? Should I stop dressing them alike? For running in the mud then I don't care but when we go out they are always dressed alike. How do I give it up?

Maybe I just need to do more shopping :) After all I still have another consignment sale next week!

How Different Are They?

Three girls and yet I still have a princess and a knight! And of course a pretty fairy :)

Good Reasons To Cry

I think some weeks are just more stressful than others. This one started out horribly since I was in bed sick after spending the first part of the weekend cleaning up Alyssa's messes. Then Monday Caleb felt sick and ended up staying home sick for 2 days.

But that's just part of it. It seems lately the girls are crankier. I'm not sure why but it seems that every little thing sets them off. Is it the age? I don't remember my other two being this difficult at age 3 but maybe I have a bad memory or they were easier since they were just one :) Although by the time Kaitlyn was 3 I was already pregnant with Caleb and by the time Caleb was 3 the girls were born and at this point I can't even imagine being pregnant on top of my daily tasks of caring for five kids. Right now I just feel exhausted. I spend a huge majority of my day in the bathroom still trying to help Julianna master the task of going to the potty by herself. Feels like I have replaced changing her diaper two or three times a day with helping her go potty 12 to 15 times a day (or more). I'm wishing I could go back to diapers...

In honor of my rough week I thought I'd list a few good reasons to cry according to Julianna, Rachel and Alyssa (listed with help from Kaitlyn and Caleb who are also quite tired of the toddler crying!)



1. Someone touches you.

2. Someone touches something you are playing with.

3. Someone touches something you used to be playing with and have "declared" as yours - at least to yourself.

4. Your big sister moves your cup further in on the table.

5. Your sister has the green plate.

6. Your sister has the blue cup.

7. Your sister is in the carseat that you currently want though none of the carseats are actually "assigned".

8. You want your cereal from the closed box and NOT the open box.

9. You want oatmeal for breakfast and not cereal (even though your mom is actually getting you cereal and NOT oatmeal - the oatmeal is for your sisters)

10. Your mom tells you to put on your shoes.

11. Your mom tells you to take off your shoes.

12. Your mom wants you to get dressed.

13. Your mom wants you to put on your pajamas.

14. Your mom wants to change your dirty, stinky diaper.

15. Your daddy won't let you jump on his belly.

16. Your sister is in your chair (even though none of the chairs are actually "assigned").

17. There's a commercial on TV.

18. The current show is NOT Diego (Alyssa); (Max & Ruby) Julianna.

19. Because you can't be done NOOOOOOOWWWWWW!

20. Because your parents try to feed you.

21. Your sister has a toy you weren't playing with but now want.

22. It's the big kids turn to watch TV.

23. There's a speck of dirt/sticky food on your hand.

24. Your sister is wearing the piggy/striped/polka-dotted/snowman/flower/pink/yellow pajamas.

25. You're going into the front yard and not the back yard.

26. Your diaper is NOT polka-dotted.

27. No one wants to play in the basement with you.

28. No one wants to play what you want to play when you want to play it.

29. Your sisters aren't listening to your orders.

30. Someone touches you again...

For any of the above reasons feel free to howl and let the tears go. However, if you happen to do so at my house then you will have to sit on the blue couch until you are done!

Potty Party

This weekend I had hoped to host a potty party to help my kids want to use the potty. While Julianna is well on her way Rachel and Alyssa aren't even close so what better way to encourage them then to have a party?!

Unfortunately, we got the stomach bug all weekend and were not able to host the party. I was way too sick and could not risk spreading our germs. But I was able to get some pictures of the girls playing with their potty dance mats.

The girls were checking out the Potty Song on-line - they liked it a lot :)



We got some really cool mats for them to practice the song on.



I took some pictures on Friday when I thought Alyssa was feeling better.



Rachel seemed to do the best learning the dance :)





While I was disappointed not to be able to host the actual party I'm excited to hand out some goodies to my guests who wanted to come but just couldn't :)

(I was not compensated for this post. Received a free pack of Huggies Pull-Ups and a few promotional materials in party pack)

We Interupt This Blog...

For a few sick days. We have got the stomach bug at our house and it has hit hard. Alyssa was first on Thursday night and Friday. Didn't get much sleep Friday night because she was up quite a bit. Saturday I felt sick to my stomach but I couldn't tell if it was in my head or if I was actually sick. Turns out I was actually sick - very sick. Was in bed sick yesterday and am feeling a little better today. But now it's Caleb's turn.

So, since there's no way anyone wants to see pictures or hear stories about that I figured I'd share some photos that I haven't shared from a month ago while we were at a birthday party.

Me and my girls:



Kaitlyn may be 9 1/2 but she still enjoys Chuck E. Cheese!



Caleb had a great time too - but who doesn't love Chuck E. Cheese? Well, me when I'm also trying to corral three three-year-olds. I have a feeling it's more fun when you actually get to play the games and win the tickets. And it's only 100 tickets for a lollipop...



And some video I shot (clearly before haircuts):



We will return to regularly scheduled blogging when the sickness has left our house. I am praying that it will be very, very soon!

Mama's Haircut

You asked, I'm delivering - here's my hair :)

One pic is after the stylist did it and the other is after I did it - I won't say which is which. Tell me if you can tell the difference...

Pic 1



Pic 2



The bangs are very different for me - I'm getting used to it but I like the color!