Day 1 of vacation.

As you can see, we went to the zoo. The kids had a blast only wanting to spend a few seconds at each exhibit before screaming to go on the next. We could have just as well been on one of those flat escalator walking things at the airport(what ever they are called).Here's mama bird with her little chicks. Ashlyn refused to sit with us. She is acting more like a 16 year old every day.

Ryan. Gaby.Brooke.Ashlyn.

Here is last year if you want to compare. Zoo 2008.

Is it June or December?

I picked these snowsuits up on garage sales over the weekend and the kids wanted to try them on this morning. It is only 59 degrees but not quite snowsuit weather.

Happy Father's Day.

Yesterday it poured rain but since fishing is my hubby's favorite pastime, I'll post this photo for him. This was our first boating experience with all the kids......and our last for a while. The kids needed a life jacket.......by the end......I needed a straight jacket. I was a nervous wreck. When we should have been lying back, enjoying the view as Lance trolled, I was doing my best to keep "all men on deck". When we were covering great distances across the lake I could have used about 4 anchors to keep the kids from blowing away. No one was more happy than me to see the dock again. Except maybe Gaby. She thought the boat was fun for about 5 minutes and then turned a shade of gray and clung to me for dear life. Since I missed Mother's Day on the blog I thought I'd post this photo of Ashlyn on the day that our litter of 6 kittens were born. She witnessed all 6 of the births which is something even myself as a farm girl never actually saw until that same day. The first was born right in the middle of our deck and the rest in a box near the front door. I know I should probably not post my son in all his glory yet again but I just can't help it. He just cracks me up. This was after a bath in the real bath tub and he must have felt he wasn't clean enough because he finished it off in the doll bath tub on our play center. Look, he's even rinsing his hair, sound effects and all.

Tea for Two and Two for Tea.

I love a good tea party especially when it includes my kids (I try to ignore the etiquette, or lack there of). We've used this tea set for tea, hot chocolate, and even water when they just want to practice pouring which they can't seem to get enough of these days.
Gaby and Brooke just happened to be the only ones up from nap that day so it was a little less hectic. I love days like this when I can enjoy their company instead of feeling overwhelmed and half deaf from all the screaming. Does anyone know when summer is coming? I want to be able to shoo them outside before I lose my mind.
Wondering what is covering our chairs? They are covered with waterproof toddler size mattress pads. I know......it's stylish. You want to copy me don't you? I tried finding some type of cover that would do what I needed it to and still look nice but as you can see, I had no luck. So bedding it is.

Super Boy and his Baby Sidekick.

The funny thing about the super man PJ's is that the cape Velcros on and Ryan hates it. He thinks it's an "itchy tag". You have to sneak up behind him and stick it on without him knowing it. Ashlyn loves to do that and then he will wear it for a while until he realizes it there, then he freaks out and rips it off.

We are having another blizzard today. What is up with that? I hate this time of year.

Locks of Love.

These pictures speak a thousand words. We're a little sad but it will be so much easier with her starting school in the fall. We've been talking for weeks about the Locks of Love program and explaining how is works to Ashlyn, who was happy to donate her hair. Maybe I should have spent a little more time explaining because she was determined to give her hair to a little girl at the salon today. Instead, we will be mailing it off soon and I plan to email a photo to the organization which may get posted on the website.

Speaking of websites, for those of you who haven't already seen it here is our hospital's new website.

Sometimes.....

Sometimes we play nice together (rarely....actually).Sometimes we like to snuggle (our babies grow up so fast you know).Sometimes things get a little hairy (someday I'll tell you about the egg incident).Or we do things a little backwards (notice the tag?).But if we have just the right shoes, it makes everything seem perfect.

Sorry my posts have been so rare lately. I'll try to do better. The kids are growing and changing so fast. They talk a lot and say some of the cutest things. They are truly becoming little people.

We're still alive.

Even though it was 20 degrees below zero here recently, our kids and I all had a really nasty stomach flu (picture 3 out of 4 kids puking at the same time, Ryan luckily had it first and he was done by the time the girls got it), we've gotten a ton of snow in the past month, mommy has been working extra hours and daddy has been traveling for few work conferences....we are still alive.

Sorry for the lack of posts but if I do even sit down to the computer it's either to check my emails quick or pay bills.

To bring you up to speed, the kids are doing pretty well in the toddler beds. Ashlyn loves being in the little kids room but sometimes doesn't let them sleep when they want to. The little bit of hassle it brings is worth it to see the kids bonding together and Ashlyn feeling like she's part of the group. Nap times are a struggle. The kids just don't want to settle down right away and we used to just zip them up and walk away. It was nice to have a good 2-3 hours to get something done in the house. Now we have to devote 30-45 minutes trying to get them to sleep and that leaves less time for anything else.

The potty training is making progress but I think it will still be a while before its complete. The girls usually wear training pants all day except to sleep, and they stay dry most of the time. Ryan usually chooses to wear a diaper (I always give them a choice) but will rip it off to use the potty off and on.

Well that's going to have to be it for now. I will post more later.

There's no turning back now....

Yes....it is what it looks like. We've moved Brooke, Gaby, and Ryan out of their cribs and into toddler beds. I've been dreading this day and held off as long as I could but Ryan and Brooke have been unzipping their crib tents (despite everything we've tried to keep them shut) and climbing out. Then they try to help Gaby but eventually abandon her and she starts to cry. Since her bed is a lot taller and we're afraid she may try to escape and land on her head, we made the decision to get them new toddler beds with their Christmas money from Grandpa and Grandma. So far, they love them and I think they may be asleep, finally, for their nap. Lance had to go up and sleep with them to get them to settle down.And of course, Ashlyn has been waiting for such a long time to move into their room with them. Now she finally gets to. Let the slumber parties begin.......just don't wake mommy and daddy.

New Photos.

Here are a few of the many photos that were taken last week by Jon Kampen of Kampen Photography. This is the 3rd time we've taken our kids there and once again, we were not disappointed. I did compress the photos so they would download faster which makes them a little fuzzy but you can see how cute they are. Also notice I changed the photos on the right side of my blog.

Wishing it were summer.

Since we are preparing for another big snow tonight I let the kids try on their new swim suits.Why do they have new swim suits in the middle of winter? Because with multiples you learn to buy things off season because they are cheap. The girls' bikinis were like $3 each and Ryan's was around $2. They have been running around the house half crazy.

Ashlyn and I made sugar cookies a couple weeks ago. It is my Grandma's recipe. She always has the best sugar cookies. They are decorated so perfect that when I was in grade school, some of my teachers saved them instead of eating them. At least that's what they said. If they had actually tasted them they would never have been able to not eat them all. Ashlyn doesn't exactly decorate them the way Grandma does but they look perfect to me.

How to not overeat during Christmas.

Having your gallbladder removed is one way. Probably not the preferred method though. If you're confused, don't worry, it's not you. I'm medicated right now. Just a little bit.

I, unexpectedly, had my gallbladder removed yesterday afternoon. I had an attack on Thursday and went in for an ultrasound on Friday morning. I had lots of stones and one was lodged in the neck of my gallbladder. Hence the pain.

So our incredible surgeon, Dr. Van, was able to squeeze me in for later that day. I was pretty miserable last night but am feeling a little better today.

So now I have to eat low fat for 4 - 6 weeks while my body readjusts. Dry toast and Turkey breast....yum!

The Pee Parade.

Sounds like a good time for the young and the old, doesn't it?

The little ones are still showing interest in potty training. Mostly because its a group effort, I think. Once one does something, the others follow. So for about 45 minutes every morning we've had 3 toddlers peeing a few drops and then picking up their potty and going into the bathroom to dump it. Then they put it back and the cycle starts all over again. Plus they have also wanted to wash their own hands. I'm sure you have all seen how a toddler washes their hands. So yesterday I had had enough and I told them that they can no longer go into the bathroom (their potty chairs are in the kitchen). I want to tackle one messy step at a time. Once they get the peeing down, to where they will actually empty their entire bladder. Then I will let them start washing their hands. Until then, we are using hand sanitizer and I spray their potty chairs with Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface spray every so often throughout the day.

Anyone who has done potty training knows that it can be extremely frustrating and times 3 is a nightmare. I know with Ashlyn it took about 2 months from the very start, to the end when she could be trusted to wear only underpants. So maybe 6 months from now we'll have it down.

Monday we are having the kids pictures taken and since it is so late in December, don't be surprised if they don't get mailed out until after Christmas. So if you usually get a Christmas card from us, don't think we forgot you.

Hey there, its me again.

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't posted in a while. Like over 2 weeks ago. Why? What have I been doing that is so important? Um......being a doting wife(ha ha), mother with the patience of a saint(cough), and an employee that has worn the soles off of her New Balance shoes. Well, not all the way off but the treads are starting to flatten.

When I come home from work, which has been getting later and later, I drop everything and grab a plate of whatever Lance has cooked up for the kids. Which is usually my first square meal of the day. If you can call pizza a square meal, its actually kind of round. One night he made a huge steak and I didn't even know about it. They ate it all before I got home.

The kids love to crawl up onto my lap....all 4 of them...and say "bite...bite". Then I say "no, mommy's food". Now Gaby says "no, mommy's pood". After my lovely meal I usually change into pajamas and park my butt on the couch. I have been soooo tired. I don't want to do anything. I do help put the kids to bed, which has to be some form of aerobic exercise and I'm thinking about making a video and selling it.

I then watch about 1.5 hours of TV and its off to bed. Where I have actually been sleeping lately. Thanks to a little friend called cyclobenzaprine. At least I think I've been sleeping. I used to take Ambien and unbeknowst to me, I was getting up in the night and doing things I did not remember the next day. Scary? Yes it is.

I started the cyclobenzaprine for 2 reasons. One, to help me sleep and two, I have been having some muscle cramping for about a month now and have no idea why. I did go back to the rheumatologist and she is convinced that I have Fibromyalgia. I am still not 100% convinced and will probably keep searching for another, less permanent, condition. Preferably one that is curable with a tiny little pill, that has no side effects. Or maybe not a pill but something like.....I must not, under any circumstances, go anywhere near dirty laundry....or dishes either.

I really hate to talk about my health because I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me. Even the thought makes my skin crawl. I just wanted to let you all know so that you would understand if I don't always have the energy to keep my crazy life under control. I have to let some things slide. What do you think? Should it be keeping my kids bathed and fed and happy, or having a pristine house without dust bunnies in the corners and 3 baskets of folded (but not put away) laundry piled in my bathroom. And that's IF it gets folded. Thanks to my mom and Vicky, it sometimes does. I just can't be Mrs Perfect, even though I'd like to be.

If in the past or future I declined/decline an invitation or say no to something that I really should be doing, I either don't like you (rarely the case) or I just can't do it. So there, that's done. Now, who wants an update on the kids?

Potty training has been hit or miss lately. Mostly miss. We've decided that when we finally reach the end of this journey, we will reward ourselves with new furniture (preferable without urine). The carpet will have to be cleaned also. That's Lance's reward.

Gaby who was the one to start this endeavor and was showing the most promise has completely back pedaled. She either forgot how to pee in the potty or she is being obstinate. She is a German/Irish/Norwegian female, what do you think the answer to that question is?

Ryan is actually still letting us know once in a while that he has to pee and then producing pee in the potty. We thought he would be the last to be trained.

Brooke has had a couple of accidental deposits but mostly she just likes to be naked and strips as often as she can.

So I just go with the flow. At this rate they may be potty trained by 6th grade. Now that would be some BIG diapers.

Wow that was much longer than I planned. I guess its 2 weeks worth.

Potty Training Triplets......

...is not a one man job. I have spent the entire morning chasing half naked babies, pulling up underpants, scrubbing floors and chairs, wiping butts, dumping pee (still only Gaby's), and washing clothes. Gaby was fighting the thick cloth training pants so I broke out Ashlyn's old princess panties. She loved them but so did Brooke who has yet to figure out where the pee is supposed to go. She won't wear anything but the princess panties. I tried putting a pullup over it but she keeps ditching it as soon as I turn my back. So of course we've had a few accidents. Ryan is starting to run to the potty after he pees his pants and at least he will wear the plastic pants. Brooke is determined to wear the thin princess panties and doesn't have a clue why pee is running down her legs.

At the moment, Gaby is sitting on the potty because she cries when I put her to bed for a nap and says "stink". I'm thinking that she has to go but it's always harder to get them to poop on the potty than pee.

So this is day 2 of potty training purgatory. I'm expecting it to last either a short time and then we are back to diapers, or drag on for months. I would love any advice or funny stories.

Princesses and a Prince.....in training.

Because we were going stir crazy (meaning the kids were driving me nuts) today we decided to do a project. I found these printable crown cutouts off the Internet and Ashlyn and I put them together.As you can see, Ashlyn was the most excited about this. To explain the training part of this post, I am announcing that we are in the very early stages of potty training. I'm not too excited about this because my plan was to put it off until they were about 3.5 years old. From what I've heard, multiples seem harder to train and since Ashlyn was 2.5 when she was officially trained, I thought I'd at least wait until then.Gaby has other plans apparently because without too much encouragement she has started training on her own. She comes to us and smacks her butt and says "stink" when she has pooped. Then a few times she has went to the toilet asked to pee and when we take off her diaper she has already pooped. She has actually peed in the potty chair a few times by accident. Today when I was going to change her before nap time I asked if she had to go pee. She went running into the bathroom and sat down and peed in the potty. Then she says the cutest thing. She turns around and points to it and says "poot, poot". Since she got a treat for going potty Ryan and Brooke wanted to try. All they did was sit down and say "all done". Then of course I have to chase them and get them back into diapers. This morning all 3 got away from me and ran up and sat at the top of the stairs, all with bare butts. Can you see why I've put off potty training?This is what Ashlyn calls a dolphin. She's pretty good, isn't she? You should see her interpretation of Daddy. This is how the kids were sitting to watch Baby Einstein one day. You would think that they actually might like each other. Don't be fooled this lasted about 15 minutes and then someone was squishing someone else and you can guess the rest.

I'd have to say that so far age 2 is not much fun about 90% of the time. At least for me.....I'm sure they are having a blast. This morning, I had to take a call from work and I couldn't hear so I went into the bathroom (my office). When I came out, Ryan and Gaby had dumped a box of hanging files containing our most important papers on the floor and were rolling in it like they had won the lottery.

I just pray over and over each day for patience. I know this is temporary. It will get better. And worse. And then hopefully better again.