And What A Day It Was!!!

I love first birthdays. Just love them. And I really, really, really love first birthday parties. Especially when the party is for three wonderful one year olds. Who happen to be mine. I started planning for their party when they were around 8 months old. Hours spent searching the internet for ideas, browsing thru catalogs, verifying dates to ensure our out of town family and friends could be there. And I have to say, I did a darn good job! My one year olds had a fabulous time. My three year old had a fabulous time. And all of the kids that came did too. And I would venture so far as to say the adults did as well. I mean, wouldn't you say this clown guy looks like he is having fun?

                                                Or how about this guy and his little princess?

And I'd definitely say that this is one cool Nana.

We had face painting.

We had balloon making. And not just your standard little balloon animals. This guy was good. Maybe too good.

 

It was really such a fun day. And of course it went by way too fast. So many of our family and friends came out to join us. We received so much wonderful stuff for our babies. I am continuously humbled by the love so many people have shown these babies. I often wish there was more I could do than just say "Thank you." Because that doesn't seem like enough. When these babies are older, I can send them over to mop some floors and cut some lawns. They will be pretty busy because we have a lot of IOU's at this point. Back to the party....let's talk cake. Or better yet, I will let the pictures do the talking.

I'd say those babies really enjoyed their cakes. Makayla was a little scared of all of the people around her so she was more worried about that than eating her cake. But Marissa and Jack dug in. We had lots of other yummy desserts too. And a whole lot of food. And just a really great time. Thank you all for being a part of this special day. And to those of you who had to miss it, we missed you. We wish you could have been there for this celebration. But things happen. And we, of all people, get that. This first year has flown by. My little babies are growing up. The one thing people say over and over again, and probably will my entire life, is, "How do you do it?" Well, all I can say is you just keep moving forward. Some days over this past year were so difficult and some days were easy. Thinking back to those 'round the clock feedings every 3 hours where by the time I finished with baby #3 I only had about half an hour 'til baby #1 needed to be fed again, I wonder myself. But one thing I do know, we are so fortunate. The fact that we have four healthy kids is enough for me. Sometimes, when I am so over tired or just want five minutes to myself, I think about that. About how much harder a lot of other people in this world have it. It makes me realize that being woken up two or three times a night by a little girl who just wants her mommy to hold her really isn't that bad. Actually, it's great. And this day, it was the best day yet. A celebration of our babies. A celebration of our family and friends. A celebration of the best big sister these babies could ever ask for. And, a celebration for us. Because we did it. We survived year one of having triplets and their big sis. So again, thank you all for your prayers, your thoughts, your well wishes, your gifts, your time, your concern and everything else you have all given us. We have a lot of good people in our lives....

(All photos were taken by the amazing photographer Tammie Bishop. She did such a wonderful job of capturing this special day in our lives and we thank you for that.)

Happy Birthday Times THREE!!!

The babies are ONE!! I cannot believe it has been an entire year since these babies made their big debut into this world. I think back to the day of their birth often and feel so fortunate everything turned out as well as it did. Though I often reminisce about it, I don't think I would go back to that day! I have some pretty amazing babies if I say so myself. I mean, Jack was 5 1/2 pounds at birth! That's huge for a triplet. And they got to come home very quickly (in terms of triplet births) and I know we are very, very fortunate for that. They are very smart babies. I think we all know those genes came from mom ;)  Both girls were walking at 10 months, Jack is starting himself. They can show you certain body parts, hold their finger up to show you they are "1", know what it means when I say it's nap time and go to their room, try to put their own shoes on, climb like nobody's business, and well, the list could go on and on. And that's all with being 6 weeks early. I am so happy that I have such healthy babies and I can't wait to see what this year of life brings us. Their one year stats have both the girls around 17 pounds and between 28 and 29 inches and Jack is right over 20 pounds and 31 inches long. He's a tall boy! We had their 1st birthday party this past weekend and I will write a post on that once I get the pictures from it to include. All in all, it has been a wonderful first year. I love those babies and their big sister so much and couldn't ask for much more!

Happy Birthday Marissa, Makayla & Jack!!!

The Countdown is On!

We've got us some busy babies! They are 11 months old now. And what fun they are. The little world that multiples coexist in is truly amazing to watch. They are always near each other and interact so much all day long. They often have what I call "secret meetings" where they huddle up under behind the curtains or near the front door (anywhere as long as they are out of my sight) and I think they are plotting something. They are often giggling and squealing and as soon as I check on them and they see me, they separate and act like they weren't doing anything. Pretty suspicious to me!! The girls are walking, Jack is starting to stand solo for brief periods of time, they say a few words each, they are just amazing. Makayla can climb like nobody's business and is constantly being told to sit down or get off of something. She may be petite but nothing slows that girl down. She is fiesty and determined but she is also such a snuggler and would be happy if her grandma just held her all day long. The minute Grandma walks into the house, Makayla goes over to her and snuggles in her lap. She knows who to suck up to! Jack is still as goofy as ever. He keeps everyone in the house laughing. He is loud and rough and happy all of the time. He has started getting in a little trouble for being too rough with his sisters. He's got a good 4-5 pounds on them so when he pounces on them, they aren't always happy. He still has no teeth and his hair has finally started to come in. He can entertain himself for hours with anything you hand him and he's as lovable as they come. Marissa has become my mini-Marley. She reminds me so much of Marley as this age. She is a mama's girl and quite timid around new people. She does not like people she doesn't know getting too close to her or rushing her to be comfortable with them. Once she knows you though, she's a silly, fun girl. She's also a climber but not quite as daring (or relentless!) as her sister about it. Both girls have started becoming jealous when they see their sister being held. They will be perfectly fine playing with a toy and if I hold their sister, they rush over to be held too. I seriously need an extra pair of arms at this point! I have been so busy planning their 1st birthday party and am starting to get really excited about it. I think it should be a fun day for everyone, including (or maybe especially) their big sis. Speaking of, she is doing wonderful. She is truly the best big sister ever. She loves her babies so much and is so caring and loving with them. She really amazes me. She doesn't like when their bedtime comes along because she wants to them to stay up and play with her. She loves getting to go in their room in the morning to tell them "Good Morning" and give them all hugs and kisses. She loves being goofy to make them all laugh and they all adore her. Anytime we go somewhere, she asks if the babies can come too and gets sad if I tell her no. I've had to take the babies to the doctor a couple times lately and she always goes with us because she doesn't want them to be scared. Now that's a darn good big sister if you ask me!! So, everything here is going good. Just watching everyone grow and learn. It's pretty darn awesome around here most of the time.

Jack clowning around as usual

Enjoying some pool time together

My beautiful girl



Makayla doin her thang!

Marley & her friend Breana at their 1st gymnastics meet

Marissa waving hi

Makayla having fun

Big sissy hugs

Looks pretty comfy to me!

Sweet girls

Strike a pose

Jack

Marley at the Dr's office with one of the babies

10

Double digits! Ten months. Two little months shy of a whole year since these babies came into the world. It's hard to believe. The past ten months have gone by so quickly and these babies have grown up so much. And they are so fun. I honestly feel like all babies should be multiples. That's how fun they are. They play together and entertain each other so good. I love watching them interact with each other. They are always playing peek-a-boo with each other behind the curtains, tossing toys back and forth to each other, giving each other piggyback rides and having their own little conversations. They are all best friends and when you add Marley into the mix, they can definitely keep you entertained. They each have a lot in common, but they also have characteristics that makes them unique. Let's start with Jack. He's my cuddler. He is truly the sweetest boy and he is still so happy all of the time. He smiles and laughs at everything. He can crawl really fast when he wants to and pulls up on everything and is often the one his sisters choose to hang onto and let him drag them around. He loves playing with any kind of ball. He will sit across from you and throw the ball back and forth with you 20 times in a row. His dad thinks a baseball career is definitely in his future. Let's hope he is right! He claps, waves and is notorious for using his head to plow into things, including people. He seems to realize his head is his strongest weapon. He still hangs his tongue out all of the time and drools the worst of the three. He loves singing and will say, "La, la, la" all day long. He has said a few words, but that is by far his most used. He still has no teeth and not a whole lot of hair, but it'll come in time. He is such an easy-going little guy and has a giggle that is infectious. Then there is Marissa. She has become my quiet little talker. Her little voice is so soft and sweet when she wants it to be. Her newest thing is saying "Bye bye" while waving to you. It is one of the cutest things and makes me smile everytime she does it. The other day she did it and then crawled off like she really had somewhere to go. She is getting really good at standing alone and has even taken a few steps on her own here and there. She is my messiest eater and loves to rub food in her hair and all over her face. She absolutely adores her big sister and follows Marley all over the place. The two of them like to have squealing contests and they both crack up laughing within seconds. She would do anything to be able to do everything her big sis can. She has four teeth now. Last up is Makayla. She is becoming a little trouble maker! She is all about climbing now. One of my biggest fears was that the triplets would take after their big sister and like to climb things. Two of them were showing very strong signs that they will indeed be climbers and the past few days, Makayla has made it very clear that she will get to what she wants no matter how high up it is! Somehow she learned how to climb up on the couch. I left the room for two minutes and I came back and she was sitting up on the couch with the biggest smile on her face. She is still pretty little and the couch is big and it's leather which doesn't give much traction. All I can think is that she stood on one (or both!) of her siblings to get up. She can climb out of her seat at their table and be standing in her seat or climbing onto the table in a matter of seconds. The girl is going to give me gray hairs! She has two teeth but the top two are probably going to break thru within a few days. She loves to squeal and giggle and she is usually the one jumping on her brother or sister's back for a piggyback ride. It is so funny to watch. She puts her hands on their back and when they crawl around she crawls behind them hanging on and just moving her legs and laughing. She is still the toughest one of the bunch. If a toy is taken from her she (loudly) lets everyone know she is not happy. If she grabs something from one of her siblings, she has learned to take off with it so they don't get a chance to grab it back. She is very fast and those little arms and legs can move so quickly! She is also getting good at standing on her own and took a couple steps on her own. She likes to give her brother a hard time and often fights over toys with him. I can only imagine how it will be a few years from now! It is so fun to watch these babies learn and grow. I sing the alphabet song with them everyday at lunch and now they really interact with me when I'm singing. They will clap and dance and at the end I get a round of applause from all of them. Their little faces light up when I start singing that song. They still love their big sister so much. They are starting to understand so much and get upset if she gets in trouble. The other day she got sent to her room and Marissa cried her little eyes out until Marley got to come back out. It is hard to believe they can pick up on things at such a young age. They all know that when someone says, "Yay!" that they should clap. They know what "Stop" and  "No" mean, though that doesn't mean they don't just continue what they were doing with an even bigger smile on their face. They each know their names.They all reach for me to pick them up when they want to be held. It's the little things like that that make me realize how much they are learning and growing. These babies are on the verge of toddlerhood and they aren't slowing down no matter how much I ask them to!

Jack

Marissa laughing

Marley really wanted a picture with her brother

Smiley boy

Makayla

They loved riding the horsey

Jack did too

Climbing on the couch when mommy leaves the room is FUN!

My little gymnast

Marley & her friend, Kailey, a few weeks ago

No stopping us now...

Today was one of the best days we've had as a family in a while. My birthday is on Saturday and I told Mike all I wanted was to spend a day at a theme park. We go to theme parks a lot but I just think you can never get enough of them! Marley has been to Disney World a whole lot of times in her short little life. She has always been such a good "theme park kid." She loves rides. She loves shows. She loves animals. She doesn't even mind waiting in line. We always felt so lucky that she was so good when we took her places. I've been wanting to take her and the babies to the Zoo or Busch Gardens for a few weeks now. My husband wasn't quite as anxious as me to take three 9 month old babies out all day to a place that is totally outside of their norm. But, I wanted to go to a theme park for my birthday so guess who won?? And it was awesome. We had so much fun and the babies were so incredibly good. I still can't believe they behaved so well. Not one single tear, no meltdowns, no fussing. Nothing! They looked a little worried when we first got there. A LOT of people kept approaching us and asking questions and talking to them and getting right up in their faces and it was starting to scare them. I took Marissa out for about ten minutes and she had the tightest grip on me that she possibly could. Jack fell asleep within five minutes and slept the first hour or so. That's my Jack. Makayla was fine just sitting up by her brother and holding her juice cup for dear life at first. I think they really had no idea what was going on. People asked to take pictures of them. People brought their kids up to them. I must have heard the expression that moms of multiples hear ALL of the time, "Your hands sure are full!!!" atleast 50 or 100 times in the first couple of hours. I honestly couldn't say how many times we were stopped, pointed at, given sympathetic looks or told how blessed we are. But, it's part of life now and I have learned how to just smile and keep walking and not let them stop me. If I do stop, the crowds swarm, and it's hard to get away. I am so proud of my babies for how well they behaved today. It was definitely a risk. These babies aren't nearly as "cultured" as your average 9 month old baby. Other than their pediatrician's office, the mall and a few other places, they really haven't seen much. So, asking them to sit in a stroller for the entire day, where it's 20 degrees warmer than what they are used to, eating and napping at different times, and then dealing with a million new faces that want to see the spectacle that is triplets up close and personal time after time after time, is asking a lot and they had every right to fuss a little. But they didn't. And that is so awesome because we realized we can still have a really fun day at a theme park with all kids in tow. Getting everyone ready and getting all the bags packed was quite a task, but it was well worth it. And, the new stroller is so awesome. It is much easier to steer and turn than the previous one and I think the babies were so comfortable because they had each other nearby. Even at home, they stick together. They are all best friends and who better to have by your side than your best friend when you are face to face with a cheetah? Or just a bunch of strange people who seem to think three babies at a theme park is the best attraction there is.


Marley & Kailey...BFF's

The girls LOVED the log flumes

Mike & Joe taking the girls

Tired out!

These girls had a blast!

Being cute is quite tiring



Lunch break



Tyler and the triplets waiting for their big sisters to ride