Twick or Tweet

It was a great day for the cutest garden gnomes you've ever seen. Honestly, I didn't think we'd trick-or-treat for more than 15 minutes. I didn't think they'd wear their costumes and I certainly didn't think that they'd be running up to strangers' doors saying things like "twick or tweet" and "happy Halloween" and even an occasional "thank you."

I'm amazed and exhausted. The kids went to bed at 7:00 and it's 7:37 now and as soon as I post these pics, I'm done. We started the day at the Griffin's house about noon. We went there and to their parents' house down the street. They played in the leaves and ate pretzels and lollipops and then we went to the Duncan's house. There we went from house to house to house to house... At each house I waited for them to lose interest, but it didn't happen. It was cool and windy and they didn't care at all. Each new piece of candy ended up in their mouths with the wrapper on it. When that didn't work, it ended up in their pumpkin carrier. Sometimes one of them actually got through the wrapper, and I had to quickly fish it out of their mouth, unwrap it and give it back. Julia tried one piece, the wrapper wouldn't open, and she threw it onto the ground in disgust. We picked it up before the gracious homeowner saw. At another house they were giving out Skittles, and Julia let them know she didn't like them. Griffin tried to go into every house we stopped at. He was successful at one right before we finished. Braddock had our only casualty of the day. He slipped on a step and cut his chin and bit his lip. We asked for ice and a magic band-aid appeared, and on we went no worse for the wear. And on they went. At a couple houses, they found the watering cans and attempted to water their flowers. I said they were in character. Garden gnomes taking care of their designated area.

Our last stop was Gram and Poppy's house and they had pizza and more candy. They usually knock over lamps and tables but on this night, they were pretty tame. Gram showed them all a Halloween video individually and we heard squeals and cheers and "again, again." From there, Halloween was finished for 2010. We were home in time to wash everybody down, brush their teeth, and let them come down from the sugar high in time for bed. Nobody fought sleep tonight. They had such a great Halloween. I can only imagine how they'll feel about Christmas.

Hope every ghost and goblin had as much fun as our gnomes. Happy Halloween!

Happy 2nd Birthday

My dear children,

It feels like I just recently wished you a happy 1st birthday, and that was almost too much to bear, but now this?!?! You're TWO... Happy Birthday to you.

You've all grown so beautifully, hitting your milestones in ways we couldn't have anticipated and certainly didn't expect. Last year at this time, you weren't even walking-- barely crawling. But six little legs figured it out and off you went. Now you run, racing around the house, the yard, the beach, like you haven't got a care in the world. I can't tell you how many times in the last two years I've wished I could freeze time just to enjoy the moment a little longer.

The pride that I feel when I look at you three overwhelms me-- honestly takes my breath away at times. Every day at our house is an adventure. They aren't always the best adventures, but most of the time ours is one of the happiest houses I've ever been in. It's hard not to smile watching three little explorers walking through the world, experiencing it, and delighting in all that it has to offer. You love the animals at the zoo or the farm, jumping off the couch on to the pillows, swimming any time you can, slides, bubbles, music, signing the alphabet, counting to four...you name it, you love it.

I took a few moments on your birthday to remember what it was like the day you were born. It wasn't your typical birth, Mommy and Daddy didn't get to hold you and welcome you to the world like most babies. We saw you for mere seconds and we were scared to death for each of you. As long as I live, I'll wish that you would not have known the obstacles that faced you right out of the gate. However, I watched you play on the beach, singing Happy Birthday, blowing out your candles twice, devouring your cupcakes, and I knew-- as I know every single day-- that you are doing just fine!

Mommy and Daddy love you so much both individually and collectively. Having three two-year-olds isn't without it's challenges but we wouldn't change a thing. Thank you so much for picking us as your parents. It's an honor and a privilege. Happy Birthday, my sweet babies. Don't grow up too fast on us.

Love,

Mom

Life moves pretty fast

Griffin cleaning up the mess

Julia taking a break from dancing. Look how long her hair is!

Braddock driving his car!

Here we are less than a month away from turning two, and it's more and more evident every day that we don't have anything even close to babies anymore. Some of these pictures are of them eating with their forks-- one of their very favorite words. Forkie, forkie, forkie is what we commonly hear during mealtime-- by themselves. I hesitated way too long to start this because the thought of the mess three toddlers can make in seconds with food overwhelmed me. But it was time. I won't show up at high school with the forkies and feed them. I suppose that would embarrass them. This week, I gave them their food, their forks, held my breath, and let the eggs and spinach fall where they may. Amazingly, they did beautifully. I suppose they'd been begging me to do it themselves for awhile now. So sue me... I drag my feet because I don't want my kids to grow up quiet so fast. I may use this strategy for potty training, too. They'll be six and I'll just take their diapers off and it will be done in a day because I waited. I think this is a perfect solution to what will otherwise be a tough time in our house.

Words are flying out of their mouths fast and furious. Every single day, there's a couple new words they add to their vocabulary, and they use little sentences now which is a constant source of laughter. I took them shopping on Tuesday morning, and as we left the store it was pouring. Luckily it wasn't cold because it wasn't as if I could leave them and pull the car up. I just said, "Oh no, it's raining. Sorry guys, we're going to get a little wet." Well, as I'm pushing Julia in the shopping cart and pulling the boys in their stroller, all three are screeching, Oh no, raining. oh no, raining. Oh no, wet! By the time we got to the car, they were so excited they just couldn't stop telling me what they knew. They told me the entire way home and for a good portion of the day. I was laughing so hard my sides hurt.

Yesterday, Griffin unsnapped his diaper-- unbeknownst to me-- as I was getting Braddock dressed. I heard a sound of rushing water and as I turned to see what I was hearing, there he was peeing on the floor. Hands up in the air, just peeing and smiling. He'd asked me to take his diaper off earlier. I explained that I couldn't do that for him, he needed it and I was sorry. He showed me!

We send a lot of time at the beach which is a place they love. At the Wyckoff Y there's a spring-fed, chlorinated lake and it's really a great place for kids. It's exhausting for the adults who bring them. They have absolutely no fear of the water so we do a lot of cringing as they take off towards the bouncer/float in the middle of the lake. This is a really cool float with a climbing wall and it's for kids much older, but they don't seem to get it. They all wear life jackets and Julia enjoys floating on her back, letting the life jacket do its work. She just floats with a giant smile on her face. She also thinks she can swim which is somewhat alarming as she sticks her face in the water and wildly kicks her feet and moves her hands as if she has no control of them. She stops, screams-- and I mean really uses her lungs-- to tell us she's Sweeemming, sweeemming. She delights in this. And other than the fact that my heart jumps in my throat because it appears she's drowning herself, as I grab the strap on her life jacket, I can't help but smile. She also does this in the tub and that's funnier because she has less fear and becomes more wild.

Griffin is a complete rocker. He loves music-- loves it-- and can't help but dance when he hears a good song. We went to a first birthday party last weekend and he spotted the iPod in its dock, so he made his way to it, stood with his ear as close as I'd let him get to it and showed off his moves. You just can't hide that kind of rhythm, folks! I say all the time that it's just in his bones. He also loves words and letters. Any word I ask him to say, he's on it, repeating it, enjoying its sound. I hear him often throughout the day calling out the alphabet the best way he knows how: A, O, D, D, D, O, I, E....

Braddock loves climbing up on everything and if he can knocking it over. They all climb but he's the leader. He climbed up on the bench in the basement yesterday and jumped off before I could stop him. He had that sparkle in his eye that tells me that won't be the last time he jumps that way. He's very physical, likes kicking ball, opening and closing things, building the castle of blocks and smashing it!

Julia calls Braddock Brackie still but she's changed Kiki for Feeky for Griffin, not sure why but that's his name to her. Braddock says Griffin and Griffin does too. Julia just likes Feeky. She can say her own name now, that was the last one she learn. Braddock calls her Juda and Griff says Ju-ya. They do a lot of hugging and kissing. For a mother, there's no happier sight.

All in all, our house is a place of controlled chaos -- most of the time controlled, sometimes just outright chaos. A day in the life of triplet toddlers flies by and is exhausting, but they are growing beautifully, learning rapidly, and keeping a smile on our faces. We'll talk about the tantrums another time....

Happy Memorial Day 2010

If I wait to finish writing this post, I'll never get it out there. So forgive any spelling or grammatical errors. My little swimmers have been frolicking in the warmth of June! They've enjoyed their new outdoor space (four play yards put together to keep them safe while they play)! There's a little whale pool/sprinkler that is providing hours of entertainment for them. We are just biding our time until the lake we joined opens for the season (June 13) They love the WAH-DUR!

From this picture, you would think that Griffin (on the left) was sitting well and posing and that Braddock and Julia weren't that happy. As always, pictures are deceiving. Griff got up every time I turned around, trying to run in the yard to play. It was Sammy's 3rd birthday and we went to their house in New York to visit. The kids had a ball in the fenced-in yard filled with a bouncy castle, awesome swing set, water table, play kitchen and so much more. Julia learned to saying Seanie and she was in awe of her big cousin. This was the 25th and still daily she's asking about Seanie at least ten times a day!

I'm completely blown away by everything they are learning, all the words they say, the skills they acquire. It's incredible. Julia started calling Griffin Kiki -- not sure why-- and Braddock Bracky. She can say Griffin now and it's usually Griffy. Griffin said Julia recently which much be the most difficult to say because we've been waiting on that one. The three of them played catch with the ball Friday. It couldn't have been cuter to watch. We had to reign them back in as the whole concept of sharing isn't innate at this age. One would catch the ball and before they'd throw it to the next, they'd be on their way to the corner to hide the treasure.

Every day we see moments of the chaos that is rapidly becoming the norm. There are pushing incidents and tug-o-war matches for coveted item du jour. We could 25 of the same toy and they'd still want the one that the other is playing with. There are tantrums (which can be very funny) daily. With three toddlers, our lives are flying by and we're just trying to hold on for the ride. They are once-a-day nappers now. I'm crying inside as I state that fact. Coloring is the favorite activity right now. They all say CUDER and if they see a crayon or paper it's as if the world stops and they start yelling, "CUDER, CUDER" and there's a mad scramble to get the paper taped to the table, the crayons out and the kids in their chairs to start the creative process! And another big thing now is flowers or as they call them FLOWDER. They like to smell them even if its just a picture of one. We were playing with chalk on the driveway and I drew a flower. Had I know that all three would smash their noses right into the concrete to smell it, I'd have thought twice! The best was after the sniff Braddock looks up at me and says, "MMM Good." Amazing.

I'm happy to report that the biting is getting much less frequent. It still happens but nothing like it was. Other than Griffin's short stay at the hospital for mono and then the cold we all got -- probably picked that up at the hospital thank you very much germs-- things have been going just fine for us. Exhausting all the time but just fine. I didn't really understand why when I was carrying triplets or when they were babies why people always said, "God Bless You" immediately. Now I get it. Babies are so easy compared to curious toddlers.

Happy Easter

Please don't ask me why she's playing with the tire pump for the mountain buggy!?!

Do you know who's who?

So I had the idea it was time to take the kids to church for Easter. Let me just acknowledge that wasn't so brilliant. I think we were lucky we didn't get asked to leave; we left voluntarily. But not until the kids had to leave the church and go the room that is good for kids -- so good there was a lamp in a cabinet that wasn't childproofed. I apologize to the church because that lamp won't be working when it's next needed. I paid for it in the offering so I should be forgiven-- at least that's what I'm telling myself. Otherwise, I'd say Easter was a success. The bunny came, the food was quite good. (thank you Market Basket of Franklin Lakes -- you are our new best friend) That's not a joke. Bill and I and Gram and Poppy really haven't cooked at all since we've moved. Market Basket -- which is nothing like the grocery store in Mass -- is this lovely little gourmet market with great prepared food. we've had no reason to make a meal since we moved. it rules. okay, enough about that.

The kids are talking up a storm. Julia loves saying "applesauce" and "monkey." Griffin loves all words. If I say it, he tries to repeat it. Braddock has used a couple two-word phrases. His favorite is "I stuck." He thinks he's stuck every time I pick him up. I have to explain he isn't stuck, that he's just being held. He also said, "Hi, Mommy" tonight. I told Griffin I loved him when they were going to sleep and he quickly fired off "Love you." Now I said it to all three, he just repeated me. I don't want any confusion over playing favorites. That's a common question I get asked: "Do you have a favorite?" Seriously, people think that's a normal question. What kind of mother would I be if I quickly said yes and named a child? and just for the record I do not have a favorite.

We joined the Wyckoff Y last week so we're exited about that for the kids. It's the most incredible Y I've ever been to as far as programs they offer. Swimming lessons are a must-do for this spring/summer because these kids LOVE the water. Julia loves going under water to give us all a scare. She's goes under and we yank her out and it's the strangest thing because instead of being afraid, she's laughing. The minute she goes back in the water, she goes back under. It's a great game, really. We are also going to the library for little kids reading hour on Thursdays and/or Fridays. I can't wait to see how that goes. The children's room assures me it's a success. They haven't met these hurricanes yet.

Okay, this is a decent update. Good for me. I'd love to promise another very soon. That's always the goal. Life with triplet toddlers gets in the way and as the saying goes, "The best-laid plans of mice and men go oft awry." The point is: I'll keep working on it.

Happy Easter to you all.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Photo now, detailed post to follow. Hope everyone enjoyed a pint of green beer to celebrate. These kids LOVED it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!

We are very busy packing for our big move closer to Bill's work. It's exciting that he'll be able to be with us two extra hours a day now. Packing, not so exciting. Those who know me know how much I LOVE to move. And having moved many times, I was getting pretty good at it. Add three toddlers into the mix....not so much fun this time around. Bill's been boxing and boxing and boxing and the garage is filled so we're getting somewhere. We're really excited that the kids will have a big yard to play in come spring, and we'll have a lot more space which is going to be awesome! I am sure I'll be much more organized with more space. (stop laughing-- if i tell myself this enough, it will be true)

The kids are playing together a lot now. They have inside jokes and games they play over and over again. I see the bond of multiples now as they are growing, and it's truly amazing to watch. I'm jealous that I am not a multiple. I'm sure they'll be jealous they weren't singletons -- the grass is always greener. But it's such a joy to hear them laughing together.

On a negative note, they are still biting each other and biting us. It really hurts and I have the bruises to show for it. I'm hoping this stage ends soon. We try not to react but when one of them sneaks in a bite, man oh man is it hard to control my tone of voice. I have yelled and then they cry and I feel terrible. Or worse then crying, they see the reaction and try to bite again and again.

Bath time is by far the greatest part of the day. These kids LOVE the water, especially Julia. She's like a seal laying down and twisting all around. I think she thinks she can swim. One of their games is to take turns putting their face in the water and blowing bubbles . After they take their turn, the other two howl with laughter. Then the next one dunks and blows bubbles, more howling. The smile this brings me....it's too cute.

Okay, I am wasting valuable packing time.

Enjoy your Valentine's Day,

New toys are so much fun

They've been sick. It's winter so we can't go outside. What to do? Get a Monster Tent! They were so, so happy. Why didn't we think of this sooner?

New Shoes

Braddock's new Skidders from Uncle Jack & Aunt Pat!

Griffin's new Skidders

Julia's new Skidders -- Mary Janes no less. So cute.

Bath time = the happiest kids in America!

I hit a new low. I admit it. I'll even tell you what happened. It's lunch time -- or breakfast -- or dinner for that matter-- who could know which meal? They all run together after awhile. Point is: The kids are eating and as I put the spoon into Julia's mouth, she instantly spit it out as fast as it went in. Not sure the reason for the rejection. But that's when it happened. Without even thinking about it, I grabbed the morsel as it was being spit out, and I ate it. A second later, I realized what I had done. Like a ton of bricks it hit me: I've sunk and there's no going back. You can't undo that kind of thing. I looked around to make sure the kids weren't staring at me in horror because you just never know how the sight of their mother behaving like an animal could scar a child. Nobody seemed to notice. So we'll just move forward and pretend that didn't happen.

Anyway, we have to get the kids' one year blood work done. It should already be done but I've avoided it out of compassion. In fact, I avoided it so long, I lost the lab paperwork. So I schlepped into the pediatrician's office to ask them to fill it all out again, admitting what a disaster I am. They are really kind at the office and willingly gave me new slips assuring me I wasn't the only one. So that's first on my list for next week. I hope they'll forgive me by next Friday. I hate doing it myself, so I can't imagine how three little ones will react to a needle being stuck in their arm that has to remain steady long enough to draw a vial for testing. They wiggle in protest when I try to change their diaper. I'll let you know how it turns out.

These are the most recent pictures. I swear to you they grow overnight and they look a little more big kid-ish every minute. They got the cutest new shoes in the mail this week and they LOVE wearing them. We have all hardwood and tile so the grips on the soles are so awesome. Thanks so much to Aunt Pat and Uncle Jack. I'll be whipping up some of the fancy cupcakes from the book they sent soon, too. It looks complicated but the book says it's so easy even a monkey can do it. Gram's birthday is rapidly approaching so I'll post pictures of my first attempt.

Off and running on this Friday morning. Hot Yoga starts tonight for me and I'm looking forward to it like I'm heading to the Caribbean for a week. Oh how life changes....

Enjoy the winter weekend!

Christmas pictures