Big Weekend!

We had a lot of excitement around here this weekend. The most exciting would be that my nephews turned 9!! I really cannot believe that those sweet little boys are already so grown up. It makes me a bit sad actually. I remember the night of their birth like it was yesterday and also remember us always saying that, "Twins are tough but atleast you have two hands and often two people. What do people with more than two do?" Little did we know! I have- and will- always hold a very special place in my heart for those boys. My brother and I are neighbors so I have literally watched them grow up and we all love that we can look out the front window and spy on them. My brother is such a good dad to them and it's obvious just how much they love him. Happy Birthday to Meatball & Kadencakes :)

On Saturday Marley also had a gymnastics meet. She did so good in all of her events, especially vault. She had a near perfect score and the man behind us said, "Wow, she's not messing around!" Lol! She was so excited to get another trophy. Her coaches have been telling me she needs to move up to the next level, but the practice increases to an hour and a half two days a week and that is a long time for the babies to wait in a small waiting area for her. She is definitely ready though so hopefully I can figure it out soon.

And the last big thing that happened this weekend is the triplet's moved to BEDS! They have been climbing out of their cribs for quite some time now and I kept putting it off because I really dreaded when they would have free access to everything. Well, two weeks ago my cousin called me to see if we wanted a twin sized trundle bed and of course we did! It happens to be the same line of beds that Marley has which I thought was pretty neat. We planned on converting one crib to a twin size bed and using the trundle. We didn't realize until today that the cribs actually only convert to toddler bed then full size so Jack is sleeping on the toddler bed until we can buy a twin frame. Nap time today was spent with them playing and having a good time not sleeping. However tonight they all went straight to sleep and actually stayed in the same spots they originally laid down in. I couldn't believe it!! So proud of my little munchkins. So, here's to hoping that tonight wasn't just first night's luck and they continue this! :)

Jack Jack sleeping away in his bed

Happy 9th Birthday Keanu & Kaden!

Mike & Marley at her meet

Love these 3 faces!

Precious little Kaden

Brothers :)

As little babies <3

Kaden & Keanu at 8 months

Best friends

Keanu playing ball

Makayla (bottom) & Marissa in their new bed

Fun in the Sun!

Living in Florida, between the months of May and October, unless you are in water you probably do not want to be outside between the hours of 10am and 8pm. It is SO hot and it lasts forever. The past two summers we spent a lot of time indoors because the babies were too little to do much swimming and I didn't want them outside for too long unless it was late in the day. This summer however, we will be spending a lot of time outdoors because we have some.....

                                                                      BEACH BUMS!

Marley and Mike going swimming

They also got to go in the big pool for the first time ever. A lot of moms, especially those with multiples, have recommended Puddle Jumpers for the babies. A local friend (and mom of twins +2) had one she was getting rid of so I got it and two more. They work great! The only problem is outside of the water they tend to slide off of the babies tiny arms and waist, but in the water they work great and they can float to their heart's content. Makayla took to the pool right away, though she was more scared of the ocean at first, and was jumping in off the side after a few minutes and pushing us away so she could float alone. Jack was also jumping in after a few minutes and floating around by himself. He will learn to keep his mouth closed if he keeps drinking pool water! Marissa, who is not scared of the ocean water at all, was the most hesitant but even she was jumping in and floating in no time. Marley loves all of it. Anything that has to do with the sun, sand and water is perfect to that girl! She is a true Florida girl at heart and I think all three of her siblings are following closely in her footsteps!

Makayla getting ready to jump in

They were really good at climbing out

My little fishies all ready to go!

Makayla loves just floating around

Marley swimming

Marissa having fun

Blood Work & Dentist Visits

At their two year checkups, the doctor said he would like Jack to have some blood work done to check a few different things. Jack is always in a very high percentile in length and very low in weight and he still drools quite a bit and these could all be indicators that his thyroid may not be functioning as it should. I think he is thin because he doesn't eat a whole lot and I think part of his drooling is due to the fact that he still has a ton of teeth coming in. And I think it has become a bit of a habit for him. But, I definitely want to know for sure, and it will be good to have baseline blood work incase there are ever questions in the future and we need comparisons. I originally scheduled his appointment on a Saturday morning because Mike is off of work and that way I wouldn't have to drag all 4 kids to an appointment I wasn't sure would go so smoothly. As a baby, Jack had horrible veins and would have to have IVs in his scalp because of it. When he was a few months old, he had to have blood drawn and they poked his poor little body all over the place and had a terrible time. So, I was really dreading taking him because of this. I took him on that Saturday and when we got there they said they can only do what he needed Monday thru Thursday. Frustrating! But, I made the appointment for the following Thursday because Mike was going into work late anyways because Marley had a dentist appointment. So, Thursday morning Jack, Marley & I went to his appointment together. They had him sit in the chair and the nurse starting tapping his arms to find the best vein and then she looked at me and said, "He has no veins." I was worried she would say that. She then picked his left arm and called another nurse in to help hold him down since he is so young. She stuck his arm, wiggled the needle a tiny bit and out came blood!! Woohoo!!! She had to take 4 vials from him and he did not cry, whine, complain, or even move. The other nurse just stood there talking to us. When she was done she gave him high fives and told me she had never seen such a cooperative two year old. She said she also couldn't believe she got it on the first try. Yay for Jack! Now we just have to wait a few more days for the results. After that, we drove down the street for Marley's dentist appointment. She really, really loves going and was really excited that Jack got to watch her. She had a super friendly hygienist named Cricket and it went great. Jack sat on my lap watching the whole time (they are such good babies when you get them individually) and then the dentist checked Marley and told her she had no cavities. They make a really big deal out of it there and she got to ring a bell, pick stickers, a (sugar free) lollipop, and a coin to choose a toy. When we finished up we were up front setting up her next appointment and I asked them when I should bring in the triplets. She said why not now? I figured, well we are here and then I just have to have the little girls done, so why not! We went back in and sat down and the hygienist told me that the dentist would be cleaning his teeth. Then what I heard her say was, "We will have you sit in the chair and Jack sit on your lap. Then you will lean back and put your head in the dentist's lap." I laughed a little bit and said, "Ok" and I am sure I gave her a crazy look. The dentist came out in the next few minutes and I turned my chair and started leaning back in her lap and she said, "Um what are you doing?" I was like, "She said I needed to put my head in your lap for his cleaning" and she said, "No, HIS head goes in my lap for the cleaning." Talk about embarrassing!! The whole staff got a chuckle out of that. But, he did really well for his first cleaning and just whined a little during it. No cavities for Jack either so he got all of the goodies big sis had. I am glad everything went so smoothly and now I just have to schedule Marissa and Makayla's first teeth cleaning!

No cavities!

Waiting to be called back

Ready for her cleaning

See this mom?! We need one at home

Tough boy after having his bloodwork

TWO!

The triplets turned two last week (This has been a post in the works.) They love telling everyone that they are two and a few times I have told them they couldn't do something and they look at me and say, "Mom we two" like that means they can do anything they want now. We had a small get together over the weekend with lots of swimming and some cake too. They had a lot of fun playing with all of their friends enjoying their day. They had their two year checkup on Friday and it went really well. The girls were very friendly with the doctor and told him all kinds of things. They pointed out their body parts to him and were very cooperative while he checked them. Jack wasn't quite so thrilled about it, but he didn't get too upset and nobody had to get shots this time! Jack does need to see a couple doctors to double check a few things but nothing major. He is going to have some labs run just to check his thyroid and have some blood tests. He also has to see a Pediatric Ophthalmologist to make sure he doesn't have a slight lazy eye. The doctor wasn't too concerned but being Mike has horrible eyes that could have been fixed as a child, I don't want to take any chances. Developmentally they are doing great. The doctor was very impressed by how much the girls talk and what they know and said Jack talks like "a normal two year old boy." They are still on the small side, but more or less following their growth curves so all is well. Here are their 2 year stats:

Jack- 36ish inches, 24ish pounds (he wouldn't stand still) which is 90% length and 15% weight
Marissa- 33.25 inches, 22 pounds which is 59% length and 9% in weight
Makayla- 32.75 inches, 21 pounds which is 34% length and 3% in weight

They haven't grown much (physically) since their 18 month appointment but there's nothing wrong with being petite! Jack is our tall, lean boy but he has a lot of big friends who can protect him when he's quarterbacking a football team one day.

Makayla is still the boss of the group. She is super smart and very observant. She can talk really well, often using complete sentences. I can ask her a question like, "Where is dad?" and she will answer "Daddys at work!" The other day we were sitting outside and two birds flew by. I asked her if she saw the bird and she said, "No mama, two birdies." Well excuuuuuse me! She can be very bossy and opinionated, but she is also very sweet and silly. She loves to mimic faces and body language and has mastered the stomping foot and crossing arms while sighing at me act that her big sister often does. She always wants to go somewhere and would leave in a heartbeat if somebody offered. Last week a good friend was here and for two days after Makayla kept telling me she wanted to go bye bye with her. She put her backpack on and looked out the window just waiting for her ride to show up. So, if anyone wants to spend a day with a super little girl, just let me know! ;) She is very clever when it comes to fighting with her brother and sister and usually let the other two duke it out while she sits back and waits for them to get in trouble so she can grab the wanted toy. The girl keeps me on my toes for sure. Marissa is a little comedian. She has a hilarious fake laugh and often busts it out when she wants everyone to notice her. She makes really silly faces and loves to "scare" people or pretend she is sleeping and surprise you when she yells that she's awake. She talks really well too and uses phrases and sentences too. One of her favorites is, "Mama, I need that!" though she is usually referring to something that is definitely not needed. She still loves electronics and often asks to play the Ipad. She is the bravest of the group right now and has no fear of anything. She really thinks she can do anything her big sister does and follows right behind. Jack is my favorite little boy on the planet (can't say that about any of the girls!) He is the sweetest boy and always thinking of others. He still passes out food to his sisters, takes their snacks to them and just makes sure they are not getting left out of anything. Earlier I gave him and Makayla a lollipop while Marissa was still napping. He asked for one for her and went and slid it under the door so she could have it when she woke up. He just melts my heart! He loves hugging us and all of his sisters often. Him and Marley have a great relationship. They are always playing together and he adores his big sis. She loves what a clown he is and how he makes everyone laugh. She also loves she can be a big rougher with him than with the girls and takes advantage of that! He does not talk quite as good as his sisters, but he is getting there. He has many words in his vocabulary and if his sisters would be quiet long enough for him to speak, he'd probably be right there with them! He tends to have a one track mind at times and if he sees something he wants, it is hard to get his attention from it. I think that is a boy/man thing.
Together they are so much fun. They definitely keep me busy and sometimes a bit crazy, but they are such special little people! They continuously amaze me with what they can do and say and know. They all feed off of each other and at times it can be REALLY loud here, but it's always a lot of fun. They like hanging out upside in their beds together, climbing out of their cribs together (eek!), climbing over the (extra high) gates together, climbing up the walls together, climbing over the back of the couch together, and anything else that requires mischief. (Notice a theme here!) They are becoming very friendly with people out in public, often telling the person how old they are first and then a few random bits of information. Jack does like to pretend he is bashful and hide his face but there is always a huge smile that gives him away. The most recent new accomplishment they have done as a group is graduated from their wagon to walking when we arrive/leave somewhere. I used to automatically put them in their wagon because they didn't always want to stay by me or each other. They really wanted to walk and caught on to the fact that if they listen and stay with me, I will let them. So, now I don't have to haul the wagon out every time we go somewhere which is really nice! Marley just loves her babies still and has so much fun with them. They love playing Barbies with her and anything else she asks them to do. They all really love playing Hide and Seek and even know to cover their face and count to 10. She has really taught them a lot and some of the things they do are things I know they picked up from her!! Age 2 is off to a great start and I can't wait to see what else it brings!! :)

Sweet girls

Working on numbers

Nothing stops them from getting where they want to be

Love

Playing around

Walking out of the gym

What kind of trouble can I get into now!?

Bath time!

They all just hang out like this