The Benningtons

Gymnastics

2011-08-30T07:33:00.001-05:00

Is it time to sign the boys up for gymnastics? They were having a blast burning off some extra, crazy energy tonight. Check out the video!

Easter 2011

2011-06-15T10:20:00.002-05:00

This year for Easter, we split the fun into two days. On Saturday, we went to Decatur to Grandma & Grandpa's house. I filled some plastic eggs with gold fish and other goodies and we had a small "hunt" in the front yard. Brandon and Matt stopped by to help. The boys would find an egg, stop, open it, eat the goodie and then put the egg in their bucket. It made for a very slow going hunt! We finally talked Nick into getting more than one at a time and then taking the stash back to eat. The other two couldn't be convinced!

Grandma boiled some eggs for us to color. I wasn't too sure about dying the eggs with the boys. So in honor of Grandma Williams, we had the boys color the eggs with crayons! It is a good thing the eggs were cooked! At the end, I don't think there was one egg that wasn't cracked. A few of them dropped off the counter and rolled across the floor. In all honesty, Grandma colored most of them. The boys tried with a few but then they saw the cool faces she was drawing and began asking her to draw one for them. They also had a few plastic eggs left over from the hunt so they put the real eggs in the plastic ones, like carriers... and then shook the plastic eggs. Again, it's a good thing they were hard boiled!

On Sunday, we packed up the re-filled plastic eggs and headed to Minonk for lunch and another egg hunt in the country. Unfortunately, after being up there for a little over an hour, we had to pack up and head home. Nick's allergies were acting up and the poor guy looked miserable! We're not sure what caused it, but he complained of a headache, had a constant runny nose and the clincher was when his eyes started swelling up. After coming home (taking some allergy meds) and naps (for the whole family - bonus!), he was all better. Although we had a great lunch with the family before we had to leave, we didn't get much time to visit or have an egg hunt. Thankfully, everyone was able to come over to our house after naps and we did the egg "hunt" here! We tried it out in the front yard since the back yard was still very swampy. And once again, they found an egg, opened it, ate the contents, put it in the basket, repeat. I think Grandma Judy and I ended up picking up the remaining eggs and just giving them the buckets full of treats to eat.

Maybe next year I'll be brave enough to take them to the mall to meet the Easter Bunny in person or to a real egg hunt...

Here is a slide show of more pictures from Easter weekend (If viewing this from your email, you may need to visit the blog site):

Fishing

2011-05-03T18:25:00.000-05:00

We let the boys fish for the first time this weekend... and they loved it!

Okay, so it wasn't really fishing, but the game Let's Go Fishin'! The Easter Bunny brought it for them last weekend and they looked at it on the mantel all week (in the wrapping until I had a chance to validate the age appropriateness). Once it was opened, they were obsessed for the next few days. It is slowly starting to wear off, but they still go back to it frequently throughout the day.

Nick ~ Proud of his catch!

Alex ~ Is this big enough to keep or throw back?

We talked a little bit about one day when they go fishing for real with dad and grandpa and get to use worms and hooks. They seemed to be interested, but then again, the fish were going around and around on the table, so I'm not sure they were really paying attention to me!

Puddles!

2011-04-27T10:06:00.000-05:00

The boys and I took a walk yesterday and found some fun puddles to run through. Thank goodness for rubber boots! We did have to strip off their boots, pants, socks and jackets before we went in the house... they were soaked!!! Here's a short video...

Trick or Treat!

2010-10-31T23:40:00.000-05:00

We had a great Halloween this year! Here are a few pictures from tonight to tide you over until I add more!

Thanks again to our family for coming up and celebrating with us!

Pumpkin Painting

2010-10-25T15:41:00.002-05:00

Earlier this month, the boys all picked out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. Last week, we painted the pumpkins!

Alex:

Logan:

Nick:

Finished Pumpkins:

We also got a couple of bigger pumpkins to carve. I might even try to trace/carve a Star Wars pumpkin. Kinda curious to see what they think of pumpkin guts!!!

Summer 2010

2010-10-24T01:21:00.001-05:00

I know, it's well into fall but I wanted to finally post some pics and such about our summer.

The pool was a fun summer favorite. They were in our inflatable pool almost every day and on the weekends, we typically went down to my aunt’s house to swim in the big pool.

Alex is a pro and swims all over the place. He’ll even jump in from the edge. Over the 4th of July weekend, he jumped in and even went all the way under (without us catching him). Didn’t seem to phase him much. Now he'll do it more willingly, but only once or twice before he's back to "you catch me". Logan is also a little fish. He’ll jump in too, but not quite as dramatically as Alex. Nick on the other hand... Well, he has gone from not even getting in - to getting in but clinging to Grandma for dear life – to holding onto Grandma for dear life, but kicking his feet - to finally letting go of Grandma and swimming. We’re making progress. By the end of the summer he was more comfortable swimming on his own. He's even jumped in a few times too, although from a seated position on the edge of the pool - not standing. Of course, he prefers Grandma through all of this because I will just let him float until he swims to me – much more traumatizing for him :-)

Below is part of a post I started back in July but never finished. Wanted to post it now ...

The things these boys say now! You have to watch what you say because they will repeat you. And they pick out the most random things to repeat. They also point phrases you don’t realize you say quite as much as you do. For a while, whenever you’d ask Alex or Nick something (do you want to ...), they’d respond “yeah, ok, sure” or “sure, why not!”. Recently a big thing we hear a lot is “I said No!” and then a response from a brother (or us) “I said Yes!” and it goes one for a while, back and forth. Cute when it’s between them, not so cute when it’s a fight between us and them!

Meal times are still horrible, but I don’t expect that to change for a while. Logan has chicken fingers/nuggets/etc. for the last 3 or 4 nights in a row (at least) and some lunches too. Oh well, at least he’s eating. Alex can have a meal of only chips or french fries. I know, horrible mom, but at least he eats better at other meals that day! Nick is very particular about his food. Do not, under any circumstance, no matter how much you KNOW he is not going to eat something, take it off his plate. He will throw a fit if he doesn’t get it back – and he doesn’t care if you already ate it – cough it back up right now! A trade doesn’t usually work either. He wants the exact thing you just took. But, meals are only 1.5 ish hours a day, right?! Manageable... I guess...

We started potty training a little over the summer. We didn't push it too much The boys did good for a while, but it never really stuck. Logan has done the best so far, going both #1 and #2 on the potty multiple times. Nick did pretty good at sitting and reading a book, but rarely "did" anything. Alex would sit there, but didn't quite care if he went in the potty or his big boy underwear. But they looked so cute sitting on their chairs reading their books! I figure we'll get back to it soon enough...

This summer we also got to hang out with cousin Halas when he came up for his aunt's wedding. In this picture, we're problably introducing him to The Wizard of Oz.

This was a big favorite for a while. It amazes me how quickly their little brains absorb things. After seeing the movie only once, they were telling me so many of the little details! Now we've seen it so many times that they not only know the songs, but mimic the scarecrow and tin-man dances. Nick followed the chalk "yellow brick road" over and over one day for almost 15 minutes! Our patio isn't that big!

Here a few more of my favorite summer pictures. You can see even more pictures of our summer here. I also updated the side bar on the blog with more pictures.

Happy 3rd Birthday Boys!!!

2010-10-14T22:43:00.000-05:00

I can't believe my little babies are 3 years old today! It has been a very hectic 3 years, but I wouldn't change it for the world!!!
Then - when we could actually hold all 3 at once...

and now - where they never all look at the camera at the same time!

We love you boys! You make every day a new adventure! Happy Birthday!!!

Huntsville 2010

2010-08-09T23:00:00.000-05:00

Back in May, we took a family vacation to Huntsville. And when I say family, I mean all of us in one house ~ the 5 of us plus uncle Brandon, Grandma Carol and Papa B all drove down to stay with Angela and family for almost a week. Mom and Dad drove down during the day again and the 6 of us (including uncle Brandon) drove down over night. The boys did great concidering they slept through most of it (which is what we had hoped for).

The boys loved staying at Sydney and Halas's house! There were so many new toys and new rooms to explore... not to mention the huge bath tub! You can't tell in this picture, but Sydney's in the tub too!

Up in the game room, uncle Brandon set up a cool track for the motorized cars. The kids also liked to jump and play on the inflatable air mattress.

On Monday, we went to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. The boys were excited to see the astronaut suits and big rockets. They even got to see their first big screen movie - 3D even. They were showing Fly Me To The Moon - one of their favorite movies to watch at Grandma's house. They weren't excited about keeping the big glasses on. It would have been nice if they had smaller sizes, but all they had were adult sizes. In general, they did pretty good during the movie. Granted, no one else was in the theater, so some "musical chairs" was fine (I want to sit with grandma. now i want to sit with grandpa...). But probably the most awesome part of the whole visit that day ~ DARTH VADER AND STORM TROOPERS!!! The museum was preparing for a big Star Wars exhibit in June and the day we were there, some publicity photos were being shot. While the camera crews set up, Vader and his Troopers were just waiting around. The boys and Sydney all got to give a trooper and/or Vader high fives! They were talking about that for a long time... well, actually, someone just mentioned it last week (almost 3 months later!).

Back at the house, we pulled out the pool and all the kids enjoyed some water time! It was a big inflatable pool out on the 2nd floor balcony. Nice way to contain them for a while and tucker them out too!

The next day things got a little scary. Logan woke up and was super lathargic. We could barely even get him interested in eating a donut - and that's just not normal! Okay, so seriously, he barely had any energy to move and couldn't keep anything down. We ended up taking him to the "urgent" care to see a doctor. Let's just say they weren't very "urgent" and not very helpful either. We finally got some anti-nausea medicine in him and he was able to keep down a few drinks of water (yep, even water wasn't staying down for a while). Later that night, he was back to normal and you would have never known he was sick!

And then the other two got sick. Not as bad as Logan had been, but for the next few days, at least one boy was sick at all times. Mainly just fevers and tired, but enough that we didn't take any other trips around Huntsville. With a few exceptions ~ we still had girls day out where we got pedicures and lunch. We also had an adult night out to dinner and a movie while the most awesomest grandparents watched all 5 grandkids!

They had tons of fun playing outside. They had snacks in the "club house" on the playset. They also got to "climb" the mountain and play on the rocks in the back yard. They used random sticks in the yard and turned them into walking sticks - just like Papa B's!

I love this one of Logan and Halas walking up the yard!

Thanks again to my wonderful sister for putting up with us all week (sick kids and all) and letting us hang out with her fabulous kids! I've added a few pictures throughout this post, but there are more in a slideshow below.

Cutest Guys Ever?!

2010-07-09T00:19:00.000-05:00

Aren't these just the cutest guys ever? I know I'm biased, but you have to agree with me on this one!!!

Working on some new posts and finally have pictures from our Huntsville trip (in May) uploaded. More on that coming soon!

Hug Video

2010-06-30T20:20:00.000-05:00

Tonight Alex and Nick were giving hugs so I caught it on camera. It started out because someone took something from someone and then later gave it back (after much crying and screaming, etc.). Whatever it was, it was cute!

Here's the link to the video directly on YouTube

Love this pic!

2010-05-28T18:13:00.000-05:00

I'm going through our pictures from the trip to Huntsville last week and working on some blog entries... then I came across this one Hannah took one afternoon this week. I had to post it!

And then there's this one:

Also, I updated the slide show on right side of the blog with some random pictures from 2010.

Hakuna Matata

2010-05-14T00:14:00.000-05:00

Nick was in a singing mood tonight and we got it on video! We started out singing "Can't Wait to be King" from The Lion King. Then Adam shared his version of "Be Prepared" - the boys like Scar. Then we moved onto "Hakuna Matata". He was singing it with us for a while and then insisted on doing it solo. Sorry for the shaky camera, but his brothers wanted to help me take the video.

You can also go here to see the video on YouTube.

Play Date - Girls!!!

2010-05-04T18:49:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday we had two of our friends over to play - Skyler and Abby. We all had a lot of fun playing together.

Abby was great at sharing with us. I liked to give her baby doll (that she takes everywhere) lots of lovin's. She kept a close eye on me though and I always gave it back to her when she asked.

Abby wasn't so sure about sharing her mom's lap with me.

Skyler and I had a trade going on - she got to play with Nemo and I got to carry around her plastic cucumber.

And one of the extra cool parts - Ollie!!! We like dogs and he was fun to give hugs to.

It was kinda fun having a table full of only kids for a change!

Abby's dad has a really cool camera and took lots more pictures. Her mom even uploaded them to share with us here.

Thanks girls for coming over to play! We'd love to do it again!

Random Update

2010-04-21T22:44:00.000-05:00

Two-and-a-half is a lot of fun. The boys are able to communicate soooo much better now (both a blessing and a curse). They are playing together so well. They love to read books (which makes daddy really happy) and have found our collection of Dr. Seuss books recently. They want you to read them the same books over and over. Most of the books we tend to recite in our sleep, and they do too (literally)! As they are going to sleep, instead of counting sheep, they repeat the books to themselves. And, they’ve heard the stories so many times, they can practically read the pages to us. The best thing is when we catch them reading to each other! Two of them will be looking over the same book and talking to each other about it.

And the conversations they have with each other! They talk a lot to each other at the dinner table. Usually it’s scolding a brother, but sometimes they’ll talk about something they were doing earlier in the day or planning what they’re going to do that night. It’s so awesome to watch! You know they are planning something in this shot:

We’re eating at the table now for all meals; highchairs have turned into boosters.

I still hate feeding them – I never know what they’ll actually eat – but I don’t see that changing in the near (or distant) future. Alex loves pizza; Logan loves sausage; and Nick loves cheese!

They have been enjoying the spring weather and playing outside. They are outside most of the day, either in the back yard or over at the neighborhood park. They still enjoy going for walks in their choo-choo wagon, although pulling all 55-60 lbs of boy (plus the wagon) is definitely a good workout! All the extra running around and fresh air does help tucker them out and sleep a little better. They are now in toddler beds and doing much better than when we started. Just tonight, Alex was telling his dragon (that he brought to bed with him) - “Dragon, bed or timeout. Dragon, bed or timeout”. Seems he hears that a lot – they can make a choice, get in bed and stay there, or sit in the corner in “Time Out”.

Time outs seem to work pretty well for at least getting them to stop a behavior (temporarily). I’m not sure they really learn the lesson though. No matter how many time outs they get for throwing toys or hitting a brother, there’s always more for the same offenses. At least they know where they’re supposed to sit for time outs. It’s hilarious though when one of them gives a brother a time out! They are also great at taking turns... Well... They are great at volunteering a brother (or both brothers) for whatever it is they don’t want to do. When it’s time to get out of the bath, for example, everyone will volunteer someone else to go first.

N: Logan’s turn!
A: Nick’s turn!
L: Alex’s turn!
Odd that it’s never “My turn”... Unless it’s a fight over a toy, etc.

Random picture:

Shopping carts at Sam's Club

Happy Birthday Grandma Carol!

2010-04-20T23:35:00.000-05:00

Tonight we went down to celebrate Grandma Carol's birthday. The boys brought grandma flowers. They are so cute when they try to smell them! They either smoosh the flowers way up their noses or they hold them a foot away and skrunch up their faces to "smell" them. Usually, they're exhaling more than inhaling the smell!

After dinner (and the cake that Grandpa B. made), we went over to the mall to play in the awesome play area they have. The boys had a blast and it was perfect to get some of their energy out before the drive home. We occasionally tried to get pictures with everyone in one spot. That really didn't work too well, but here is one where we were trying. At least everyone's in the same frame!

It was 3 years ago today that we surprised mom with the news that we were expecting triplets. Now I want to dig out that video and share it again... where did I "safely" store it?! I'll see if I can find it and post it again.
Happy Birthday Grandma (Mom)! We love you!

Dragons

2010-04-07T23:09:00.000-05:00

The boys got their Easter presents a little early last week. Adam found for them some stuffed dragons from the new movie "How to Train Your Dragon." The boys were super excited to have them. They watched some TV with them...

They even wanted to take the dragons to bed with them...

AlexLoganNick

They love their dragons... and their dad for such a cool gift!

New Beds! New Beds!

2010-04-06T22:47:00.000-05:00

March 13th started a new stage in our "growing up" cycle - we got rid of night time pacifiers. They only used pacifiers when they took naps or at night time, but they were chewing through them so fast, I decided I didn't want to spend the money to buy even more. We needed at least 6 to go to bed (1 for the mouth and 1 for the hand). And of course, if I didn't have more than 6, I'd be crawling under cribs at 2 in the morning to find the ones that were dropped throughout the night. The first night, there was crying and screaming for almost a straight hour (Nick is very good at crying for very long times if he really wants something!). Then it took another 1/2 hour to fall asleep. It took about a week, each night getting progressively better, to get back to a semi-regular sleep routine. Without the pacifiers, they took longer to go to sleep. They'd spend the time talking, reciting the alphabet, reciting one of their favorite books of the day, but not sleeping. I think it was this extra time that Alex used to hone his "break out" skill.

The next step closer to being big kids started when Alex learned to climb out of the cribs. We'd put them to bed and a little while later, I'd see Alex out of the corner of my eye, standing and looking into the dryer (that kid is seriously obsessed with the dryer!). He was so quiet about getting out that we didn't even hear him "thump" over the monitor. This was of course his favorite new trick that he had to repeat over and over. Thankfully, his brothers were asleep and didn't see him do it (or at least Logan didn't notice until he was walking out the door).

The next morning, while Adam and I were getting ready for work, the bathroom door slowly starts to creak open (did I mention they can also open doors quiet skillfully now?!). It was Alex peeking in on us. The funniest part though - Adam was in the shower and said something to Alex - who couldn't see him and was spinning in circles trying to figure out where daddy was! Within a day, Logan had picked up the new trick. Interesting thing about Logan's escape though... He always climbed out of Alex's bed. He'd climb from his bed, into Nick's bed and over into Alex's bed and then he'd climb out. That was usually just enough of a delay so that when I saw Alex out, Logan was just getting out and was easier to get back in bed.

That weekend (the 28th), we broke down and modified the room. Here is what the rooms used to look like with the cribs in there...

Their cribs are convertible, so it didn't take too much time to change the beds. The problem was moving the beds so that they all had room to get in and out. We had to remove the rocking chair and decided to stop using the dresser/changing table as a changing table. They can play with anything in the room and we put a baby gate up at the door. The thought was, if they wake up early in the morning, they can get out and play or read until it's time to go downstairs for breakfast. Here's what it looks like now...

The boys were sooooooooooooo excited to see their new beds. The first time they went up there was for nap time on Sunday. They had so much fun just running back and forth, switching beds and jumping up and down. They kept saying "new beds, new beds" over and over. Alex even informed me "no rocking chair - new beds!" Well, it might have been nap time, but no one napped - and I was very much ready for one myself! That was the first time they've gone without any nap at all. Logan didn't quite make it to bed time though - he fell asleep on my arm at the dinner table! I took him over to the chair to sleep while we finished dinner. Oddly enough, he perked right up when we pulled out cookies for dessert!

The first night in their new beds was very, very rough. I think I was in there for an hour and a half just trying to calm them down and keep them in a bed. I didn't care which bed they were in, as long as there was one boy per bed. Even that was optional - as long as they'd lay down and sleep!!!

The following pictures are just some cute ones of them sleeping in their beds, either first thing in the morning (Alex) or in the middle of the night (Logan). They were very used to sleeping right up next to the edge of the cribs - now they don't quite have the same support!

Bed times have progressively gotten better over the past two weeks. Let's just say, over the past month or so, I haven't had a full night's sleep (or at least very rare). But... it's getting better! They still get excited to go to sleep in their "new beds". Just tonight, Alex said (again) "no rocking chair - new beds" - that kid can seriously obsess over things!

Outside!!!

2010-03-11T22:41:00.000-06:00

The weather has been so nice this week. The boys have gone out most days at least for a walk. Today we even played with chalk and bubbles. It was too wet to be in the back yard, so we stayed out front. Surprisingly we only had one attempt at escape.

Here are some pictures of the chalk drawing. The boys are getting so good at drawing and identifying colors. Recently they have been enjoying artsy types of activities like coloring and playing with play doh and especially stickers.

Pack the Mall and Story Time

2010-02-28T22:32:00.000-06:00

Wowzers - our morning yesterday (Saturday) was busy - but fun! We got the boys up early and headed down to Decatur. They were a little blurry eyed when we got in the car, but got excited to have their Apple Jacks - in a cup! We told them it was like we lived on the Axiom (from WALL-E).

Our first stop was the mall. We took part in the DMH "Pack the Mall" walk to support the Heart and Lung Center. The boys in their choo-choo wagon were a big hit with the walkers. Grandma Carol and Aunt Barb walked with us and the boys did really well. They liked looking in all the store windows (most of the stores weren't open yet).

They especially liked playing at the play area. There were not a lot of kids there and a lot of area to run around. It was a pretty nice setup with seats all around the edge for parents to sit on (or kids to run along) and only one entrance. Logan made a break for it a couple of times, but was quickly thwarted in his escape attempts! They loved going down the slides - head first of course. Nick would always go down feet first, but Logan and Alex were always head first on their tummys! They loved all the tunnels too.

Our next stop was Target for story time. In celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday, they were having a party of sorts. The local TV news anchor was there reading books to the kids. They also had treat bags and cookies for everyone. Again, the boys did great. Nick and Alex especially liked the cookies and proceeded to get icing all over their faces. Logan found a new favorite toy (for a while) in the pencil that came in the gift bag. But of course the best part was Uncle Brandon in the big Dr. Seuss hat!!! Oh yeah, and Alex won a free book from the raffle they had (although Nick has been more attached to the book than Alex).

The boys sat and ate their snacks while the gal read the book. Right after we got there, the local TV camera man came to the store to get some footage of the event. Brandon said the boys even ended up on the news that night!

The boys did great all morning and were wiped when we headed back to Grandma's house for lunch. That didn't last long though as they had another burst of energy before naps finally came. I thought this was a good picture of Alex and Grandma playing "get you" with Grandpa...

And Nick coloring with Brandon...

It was fun to be out and about and having so much fun. I was very ready for a nap though once the boys were down for theirs...

Dinner Entertainment

2010-02-26T22:56:00.000-06:00

So, here is a short video of our new dinner entertainment. The boys have done something like this the past couple of nights. If anyone can figure out what they're doing (or what they're saying), please, please, please let us know!!!

They are doing really well eating at the table. They will even start to pull their chairs over to the table if we haven't already done it. More eating at the table has also created the need for a "not at the table" list, which continues to grow. Some of our favorites:

Don't eat like cookie monster. He makes a big mess. Eat like Elmo instead. (Not really sure how Elmo eats, but he's not as messy!)

Don't act like monkeys (accompanied by very shrill monkey sounds).

Don't hang upside down in your chair.

Don't hit your brother. (or) Hands to yourself.

No "Ready, Aim, Fire" at the table.

...

I'm pretty sure this list will continually grow longer and longer. It is kinda odd sitting like a family at the table for a meal though. Kinda nice too! Now if only we could increase the number of 'toddler approved' items on the menu!!!

New Washer = Tons of fun!

2010-02-15T17:21:00.002-06:00

Last week we got a new washer and dryer. Not only can we now do even more clothes in fewer loads - they left us the box from the washer! That has been tons of fun for the boys to play in!

We had to move the old washer to the garage for a few days before uncle Brandon came to pick it up. We barely have room in our garage for our cars, so we had to move the choo-choo wagon out of the garage to make room for the washer. Since we don't really have anywhere else to put it, I brought it into the living room. That night the boys found it and wanted to sit in it to watch TV. Who am I to argue - it has seat belts!

When Brandon came up to get the washer, the boys had a blast playing with him. He would jump out of the tent and growl like a dinosaur. We're BIG on dinos right now! Poor guy - when he left, he didn't have much of a voice left... but the boys LOVED it and slept very well that night!

Ever since the new washer arrived, Alex has been fixated on the dryer. Any time we go upstairs he chants "dryer, dryer" and wants to open the closet to see it. I can't blame him. It's pretty cool to watch the clothes spin around and around and around...

Valentine's Weekend

2010-02-14T21:13:00.000-06:00

This weekend has been so nice (and busy)! On Friday, Adam (and the boys) got me some flowers and a big Mrs. Fields cookie with icing. He's so sweet! The boys enjoyed the cookie too - although mainly just the icing. On Saturday, we started the morning by going to the Children's Discovery museum. Aunt Audrey was nice enough to come with us. Everyone seemed to have a great time. The boys really like the blocks they have on the 3rd floor. They like to climb into the buckets full of blocks (below).

We love playing with Aunt Audrey!!!

After the mueseum (and naps) we loaded up the van and went up to visit Grandma Judy and Grandpa Barry (and Cody - the dog). The boys hung out with grandma and grandpa while we went to dinner. The boys love running back and forth through the house. I'm guilty of encouraging it too - let's just say they were very tired when they were done. Nick even started asking for a nap! I suggested he sit down and I'd get him a drink. He sat down right there on the kitchen floor and said "have a seat!"

They must have still been tired this morning because they were all in a pile with Dad when I went down to get them for lunch!

I even caught Nick and Logan quietly reading books this morning. Notice that Logan is actually having the T-Rex read the book to him.

After lunch we went outside to play in the snow. I love playing in the snow with these guys!

I started to make a snowman. This is Alex's version - lay on top of the pile mom made!

Logan found out how yummy snow tastes!

Tonight we ended it with a little fun :-p Hope everyone else had a great weekend too!

Random pictures

2010-02-11T08:16:00.001-06:00

The following picture is a somewhat rare moment... Two boys sitting nicely next to each other and playing.

Alex sitting on Lucky (the horse):

Logan:

Nick:

Bath Time

2010-02-10T06:43:00.001-06:00

I had to share these pics. We were getting ready for baths and undressing while Adam was running the bath water. Once they're undressed, they want their diapers off. Nick will either grab my hands and drag them to the tabs of his diaper - or just pull an Incredible Hulk and rip it right off! Either way, they were ready and the water wasn't and they weren't happy. I decided it was the perfect time to take pictures!

They boys really do enjoy baths which is nice. Recently Alex has decided he doesn't like shampoo in his hair, but quickly forgets about it once it's rubbed in. Logan tries to help us out by washing his brother's hair too. He doesn't usually wash his own, but he likes to wash a brother's head.

Coffee

2010-02-09T19:16:00.000-06:00

It seems the boys like coffee. Occasionally, grandma or grandpa will offer them a drink - when I'm not around of course. Logan especially jumps at the chance for some. After waking up from his nap, but still laying in bed this weekend, Adam teased Logan "Do you need some coffee to wake up?" Logan jumped up and was ready to come downstairs for coffee. (He didn't get any.)

Later that day, the boys were fixated on Adam's coffee cup for some reason! It was the hot, new toy to play with.

Imagine this scene (from Office Space):
Alex to Nick: Soooo, did you get the memo about the TPS reports?
Nick: NOOOOO! Not another memo about the TPS reports.

I still don't see what's so great about the stuff. For now, we'll keep the caffeine to a minimum. They already have enough energy they can't burn through fast enough!

New Photos and a Video too!

2010-01-26T12:27:00.002-06:00

Finally, after about a year, I updated the photo slideshow on our blog! Over on the right side of this text are my most favorite pictures from 2009. Granted, there are about 400 pictures, so it might take a while to play through all of them - enjoy!

Sunday night we were just enjoying a 'quiet & peaceful' night at home playing with the boys. We were laughing so hard, I had to pull out the camera to share a bit of it with all of you. The video below is just a sample of what our typical evenings are like - lots of laughing and screaming and playing. It is a bit long at about 3.5 minutes! Might want to make sure your volume isn't turned up too loud!

Christmas Cards

2010-01-20T06:03:00.002-06:00

We tried to get the boys' pictures taken for their 2nd birthday. I figured we'd at least be able to get one shot of each boy and maybe a group shot and if we were super lucky, a family picture. Yeah, well, that didn't work so well. It might have been the timing - we went the day before Thanksgiving and the studio was crazy busy. I'm sure it had a little to do with the gal taking the pictures - she should not have been left alone as she was totally overwhelmed by us. It could have had a little bit to do with the craziness of the boys. They did not want to have their pictures taken. They would sit on the chair, but only if it was behind the camera - not in front! No matter how we held them, posed them, coaxed them - we ended up walking out of the store without any good pictures - not 1! Oh, and that was after we lost (and found) Logan. He kept sneaking out of the room so we kept putting something bigger in front of the door to keep him in. At one point, we looked around and only found 2 boys in the room. So while 1 adult stayed with the boys and the crappy photographer in the room, 2 adults went around the store trying to find Logan. Everyone kept saying that they just saw him 'over there'. We eventually found him looking at some brightly colored backpacks.

So after the disaster that was our 2 year old photo shoot, I decided to just try and get a couple of pictures for the Christmas cards myself. Let's just say that the boys really didn't want to get their pictures taken. For a while, this is almost the picture I used on our cards...

Eventually, I got some individual shots of the boys. Not all in one 'sitting' but at least the pictures were done! Let's just say - thank goodness for digital cameras! You'll notice that both Alex and Logan are trying to bounce up at the camera. Once again, no one really wanted to stay seated for a picture!

I know it's late, but I hope everyone had a great holiday season and has a wonderful 2010!!!

Just Blog It!

2010-01-19T21:16:00.000-06:00

So, here goes... It's been so long since I've written a decent post. I've started many times, but never finished. So today I'm going to do something a little different. I've seen a couple of other blogs do this and I thought it was a great idea - Stream of Consciousness blogging. First I'm going to just post the old ones I started. Then, I'm just going to type. So much happens around here every day. If I don't just write it down, I'll forget. Memory isn't my strongest asset (seems a bit genetic - but whatever). So, here goes...

Here's the post I started back in October...

Alex talks a lot - mainly English even. He's a take charge kind of guy, although he is the most people shy - at least it takes him the longest to warm up to new people. He loves to jump, either like tigger (bounce, bounce, bounce) or off of any object - no matter how high or what's underneath. Sometimes he'll give you a warning that he's about to jump by counting to 3 ("three, three, three, three"). He loves to "talk" on a phone (or anything he can hold to his ear and pretend is a phone). He is great a mimicing us and repeating what we say. The best way to find out what you say a lot... say it a lot around Alex. Seems I say "Hi guys" or "how's it going" a lot! He is also good at reciting the ABCs and counting. He can count up to 14 easily and I've heard him go higher when prompted. He can even "read" his first book. They have a froggy book that he can practically read to you, almost word for word. It's awesome!

He runs crazy fast and non stop! He doesn't walk anywhere - it's always running or bouncing or whatever!

Wrestling - they all go at it! Especially Nick and Alex. They will drop onto each other or accidentally/intentionally run into each other (bowling the other over). I've seen some moves that I haven't seen since watching pro-wrestling in the 80s with Grandma Williams!

Logan:

Loves to climb under things. He loves tunnels made with pillows or couch cushions or even just your legs. Can you find the Logan in this picture?!

He is our pickiest eater by far. I understand picky eating, but this kid takes the cake. Okay, so maybe not - he'd probably pass on cake anyway! But if he were to ask for cake, it would be more like 'cah'. He has a habit of only using 2 letters or so of a word. That makes it very hard to understand what he wants! Of course, that's when he talks at all. Don't get me wrong - I'm going to wish for quiet and less talking soon, but for now - I'd love to know what he wants!

Nick:
Nick loves to take a couple of animals or cars or whatever and sit by himself and pretend play (see pic above). It is awesome to see him have such long conversations with his toys as they play. He talks more now, although some pronunciations are not so great. For example - Nemo vs. Elmo. He will not say Nemo no matter how hard we try. It's always Elmo - both the little orange fish and the red Seaseme Street monster. We work with him to say 'Nick, Nick, Nick' (stressing the N) and he'll repeat it. Then we say 'Nemo, Nemo, Nemo' and he says 'Elmo, Elmo, Elmo'. Oh well. He'll eventually get it.

Here's the post I started in November...
It continually amazes me what these little guys do and learn daily! Here are just some random things they've been doing lately...

I am amazed that Nick's legs and knees aren't constantly black and blue from bruising! I know mine would be if I constantly dropped onto them like he does. He loves to sit in what looks like a very awkward/painful position with is knees forward and his feet pointed behind him - his legs look kinda like VV. He will drop from a standing position to this sitting position instantly. You know it has to hurt his knees and his bottom! He also loves to run and slide - 1 leg straight out forward and one leg bent back behind him. Again, dropping straight down.

I am amazed at how much Logan laughs! He giggles and belly laughs and loves to be tickled. Such a happy little guy - unless he isn't. Then he loves to cuddle and be comforted by mom or dad. And his bottom lip can stick out so very far which is so very cute!

I am amazed at how Alex remembers things! It started with him reading back a book (Let's Go Froggy) to us. He had heard it so many times, he could read it back to us - almost word for word! Then one night he surprised me by singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to me - the whole song! He's also known for predicting/quoting a line from a movie right before it happens. Last night, he even recited the entire reprise of "One Jump Ahead" from Aladdin. All day he had been saying "Street Rat" randomly. It seems he had the song stuck in his head. I started singing part of it and when I couldn't remember the end, he finished it for me. So I started again, singing just the first line and he finished the whole thing! I'm trying to get him to do it on camera, but the "ambient noise" (aka his brothers) doesn't help.

And some more recent thoughts...
Three 2 year olds makes for a very busy, crazy, loud, giggly, rough-housing and exhausting day! Their vocabulary has increased so much lately and they are talking all the time. Granted, it still isn't always 'English', but we do understand a bit more of it than before. Alex is the most talkative (English). He likes to recite the ABCs to himself - even at night when trying to go to sleep. Better than counting sheep anyway. He can count up to about 16, although he usually starts at 6. Logan is our little ninja. He doesn't talk much and is very good at sneaking out of whatever area you've confined them in. His brothers often ask "where's Logan". We're not sure if it's out of concern for their smaller brother or if it's more like - is he about to jump out at me?! - type of thing. Nick is also rather talkative and big on repeating us lately. Be careful what you say! Thankfully, he doesn't usually remember the words he shouldn't really say beyond the conversation he repeated them in... for now.

Nick loves to get 2 or 3 objects (cars, animals, etc.) and sit and play with them for a while. While the animals give each other a lot of love/hugs, the cars tend to violently crash into each other. Guess there's a balance there somewhere. Speaking of cars - we love playing with cars. We don't love sharing them however. We started getting duplicates of some of them, just to stop the arguing and screaming. Somehow, they still know the difference though. Maybe it's just that they always want what's in their brother's hand vs. the one that is sitting right in front of them.

It is so awesome to hear them say 'Thank You' and 'Love You' Mommy/Daddy. They are pretty good at saying 'Bless You' when someone sneezes (or coughs). Alex is also good at saying 'Excuse Me' after he burps. So cute!

Alright - long enough for tonight. More to come soon! I even plan to update the picture show on the side bar soon too!

Playing in the snow

2009-12-28T10:50:00.003-06:00

I know I owe a lot of posts between the last one and this... I promise I'm working on them this week! But until then, here are some pics from our first trip out in the snow this winter.

Grandma's 80th Birthday

2009-12-01T19:12:00.001-06:00

Last Sunday (November 22nd) we went to Grandma K's 80th birthday party/open house. Everyone did a great job with all the food and decorations. We showed up towards the end and there were still a lot of people there to celebrate with her. Someone did get a picture of all of us with Grandma. The boys were rather shy when we first got there (and did not want to pose for a picture) but quickly warmed up once we let them down to run around. And run (and run and run) they did! They ran all over inside - cousin Chloe helped us keep them corralled and out of the kitchen at least. Thanks Chloe! They even made a few breaks out the door, but were quickly brought back in. We took them for walks around the building when they got a little too bored with inside.

I think their favorite part about it was the chocolate cake. Nick and Alex talked about chocolate cake for days after that. Thankfully, we took home a few chocolate cup cakes for them to have later. Logan didn't really care for the chocolate - he was fine without cake. It's no wonder he's smaller than his brothers!

Happy Birthday Grandma (even if this is a little belated!)! 80 years, 9 kids, 19 grandkids, 23 great-grandkids and still a smile to show for it!

Happy Thanksgiving - Family Style

2009-12-01T08:31:00.001-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! We actually celebrated with two different meals - on different days thankfully! We started by going to the Kreher Thanksgiving last Saturday. Grandma hosted this year at her new apartment complex's recreation room. It was just the right size for all of our family (with quite a good turn out) and the boys still had room to run around the room. Alex found Grandma's walker and had a blast pushing it around. The boys even did great sitting at a big table without booster seats or anything! After dinner was over, we packed up the boys and took them to the Christmas parade. They were very calm for the whole thing. Logan would wave if we told him to. Otherwise, they just sat and took everything in - but at least they seemed to enjoy it!

On Thanksgiving day we went to Grandpa Brandy's house and the whole family was there - including a surprise appearance from Angela, Sydney and Halas! They drove up from Alabama on Tuesday night after work to surprise us all. The boys were so excited to play with their cousins. Halas has grown so much since we saw him last! He and Alex hit it off quite well. They both were sharing and everything!

A great time was had by all. I am very thankful for all of my family! And speaking of family... stay tuned for more posts coming shortly about all our other adventures this past week. Too much to fit into one post!!

Stickers

2009-11-29T19:12:00.006-06:00

Tonight the boys found some VHS tape labels and discovered some creative uses for them...
Nick liked to direct where they should go. Logan enjoyed putting them on Adam and taking them off. Alex (in this case) enjoyed attacking Logan with the gator.

This one is my favorite :-)
Everyone was having a blast. The boys all tried the stickers on too, but it was way more fun to put them on Dad!

We had a very busy week with family visits, Grandma K's 80th birthday party, Thanksgiving and Barry & Judy's 50h wedding anniversary celebration. More blog posts to come!

We love to read!

2009-11-16T17:03:00.000-06:00

Books are some of our favorite things. The boys read their books all day long and love to have people read to them. They have also been known to carry around a favorite book for an hour or so, even though they're playing with a different toy - you never know when a brother might steal your book! There are typically two types of reading styles: 1. read the book front to back, flip over and start again, and again, and again; or 2. read the book, throw it aside, pick up a new book and repeat until all the books from the box are out on the floor!

Here is a slide show of some of our recent (past couple of months) reading moments (caught on camera). Enjoy!

Of course, some books can't handle the "love and care" the boys give them. We have had to recycle a number of books that were no longer in one piece. There are a number of books that don't have covers any longer either. Oh well. It just gives us another excuse to have to go to the bookstore and buy more! Buying kids books is fun.

Nick and Dad

2009-11-15T22:04:00.002-06:00

My favorite picture from today. Just because...

Working in the Yard

2009-11-14T12:17:00.003-06:00

Today is such a beautiful day outside - we went outside to play. The boys were even excited to help dad clean up the leaf pile!
Alex and Logan wanted to help sweep with the brooms too!
Let's hope they keep this interest/enthusiasm as they get older!

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T21:24:00.010-06:00

Wow, what a weekend! The boys had a great weekend with all the trick-or-treating activities. On Friday night, some friends came over and we tried to get pictures with them. Their little girl was dressing up as (a very adorable!) Dorothy this year and since the boys were the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion from the Wizard of Oz, we thought a picture would be perfect. The boys on the other hand had no interest in sitting still for a picture. Here are a couple of the best ones I have (with everyone in the frame at least). And of course, no one wanted anything to do with the hats that go with the costumes.

On Saturday, all the grandmas and grandpas and aunt and uncles (in Illinois) came over to help us go Trick-or-Treating. We dressed up last year, but didn't go out. This was a new experience for them/us. The good news is we had the right adult to kid ratio - 2 to 1!
They loved going out for a walk and would go up to the door. But once someone came to the door, they wanted down. They didn't really care about the candy but were pretty good at putting it in their bags. Well, eventually they would put it in the bag. Logan and Nick liked to hold on to it for a few houses and then put it in the bag. They did get better at taking the candy as people handed it to them. Alex liked to ask for more (or try and take more - they were just giving it away after all) after he put his in the bag. Logan tried that a couple of times too.
One of the houses we stopped at had built a small "haunted house" in their garage. It was a pretty awesome idea! The boys went in and saw all the ghosts and skulls and the "funny face" guy. The funny face guy was a big hit. It was a high school age boy dressed in one of the Scary Movie masks - with his tongue hanging out to the side.
The boys loved it! They kept wanting to go back and see the funny face again. Nick would even try and imitate it by sticking his tongue out!

We finally made it around the block (took about an hour) and they were ready to be home. They were out of their costumes in less than 5 minutes! I think everyone had a blast, I know Adam and I did. Back at the house, the boys "helped" hand out treats. They came to the door with us while we gave out treats, then they took candy out of the bowl too. Logan did that the most. Eventually, he grabbed 2 candy bars (one for each hand) and went to sit with Grandpa and watch the movie we turned on for them (It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown). When it was time for jammies, he still had the two pieces of chocolate (still in the wrappers) in his hands - very, very melted! Since they don't usually eat candy, they don't really know that the "stuff" they got is edible. They do love chocolate though as is evident any time we give them a couple of M&Ms - "more choclate, more choclate".
Tonight we took them to Boo at the Zoo in Decatur. They walked around to the different stations and got more stuff and saw a couple of animals. The trail was lined with pumpkins (tons and tons of pumpkins) and ghosts and other decorations. The boys did pretty good at going around and looking at everything, making ghost sounds, hooting like the owl we saw eating his dinner and of course howling at the big moon. We ended the trip with a ride on the Boo Express (a train ride) and even talked to the talking pumpkin on our way out. The boys seemed to enjoy it. They were so exhausted from a full weekend of fun and play (including some playing in the big pile of leaves Grandpa gathered) - Nick and Logan fell asleep in the van on the way home!

Thanks to all of our family that helped out this weekend - you're the best! We all had fun and look forward to next year!

Happy Birthday

2009-10-15T17:31:00.003-05:00

Yesterday the boys turned 2! I can't believe how fast the time is flying by. I'm working on a full post with details on how much the boys have grown and what they're doing now. For now, I'll leave you with a short video of Alex singing happy birthday and some pictures of the little cakes I made them. Nothing fancy, but individual cakes. Alex devoured his (and went straight to the bath tub when he was done). Nick and Logan both ate the M&Ms on the top of the cake and some icing, but not much cake - easier clean up at least!

Tomorrow we're taking the boys to play at the Children's Discovery Museum here in town. It should be a lot of fun for all of us (and make for great naps tomorrow afternoon)! Then on Saturday (assuming it's not raining) we're taking the boys along with grandparents and aunts/uncles to a local pumpkin patch for some fall fun. 2 much fun!

Don't forget - if you're getting these updates via email and you can't view the video, click on our blog link below and go out to the web site to play the video.

Sun glasses

2009-10-04T09:05:00.000-05:00

Friday, the boys rediscovered their sunglasses...

Who's in which bed?!

2009-10-03T22:04:00.007-05:00

It is pretty common to go into the boys' room after we've put them to bed and find them in different beds than where they started. Tonight was a first...
Logan and Alex sharing Logan's bed:

And because it's so cute the way kids sleep (and find comfortable) - Nick in Alex's bed:

Notice that even though Alex and Logan are in the same bed, they both have their own pillows. The question is... do I go and separate the two of them?

Bouncy House and Rain

2009-09-16T19:52:00.010-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, we took the boys down to Decatur for the DMH Family Picnic. My mom works at DMH and each year they throw a picnic for their employees and their families. There is free food (hot dogs, hamburgers, walleye sandwiches, corn dogs, French fries, lemon shake-ups, funnel cakes, etc.) and games for the kids. The boys tried a little bit of everything for lunch. Alex loved the corn dogs. Nick liked the French fries and Logan preferred to just hold his food in his hand, although he did eat a little walleye at one point (he was in need of a nap!).

They are still a little young for some of the carnival games, but they did get to ride on the ponies and bounce in a bouncy house. It took a little coaxing at first to get them in the house, but once they went in and realized what it was… they didn't want to get out! Thankfully, cousin Chloe was there to go in and bring them out. Thanks Chloe!!! We forgot to take a camera, but we did have our camera phones!

All 3 in the bouncy house:

Logan mid-air, Alex, Chloe:

Logan going down the slide (into Nick):

Later that weekend, I decided to show he boys how to play in the rain. They had just finished eating dinner – or more like wearing most of it. So we stripped them and took them out in the rain to play. Grandpa wasn't interested in getting wet but Grandma and Uncle Brandon were willing to help. Thanks dad for getting some great pics! We all had fun and of course, they did not want to come back inside!
Splashing in the water:

Logan and Nick in the Rain:

Logan:

Next time, we'll find a big mud puddle too! I can't wait!!!

New Toys

2009-09-13T17:52:00.002-05:00

This weekend the boys got some new toys. Alex won't go anywhere without the truck Grandma Carol got for them.

I also picked up a basketball hoop for them to play with at the Mothers of Multiples garage sale this weekend. Nick got super excited when he saw it and went straight to playing with it. Once we found another ball, Logan joined him. Enjoy the short video I got of them playing with it...

Jail Break!

2009-09-05T19:59:00.001-05:00

The boys are grounded until they're at least 5!!!

Last weekend we were coming up from playing in the basement because it was bath time. Adam was upstairs running the bath water. The boys were in the play room (all gated in) while I went in and got the bed time DVD ready and then a potty break. All of a sudden I hear Adam yelling that there are kids outside!

At first I thought the boys might have opened the gate (one of Logan's specialities) and gone out into the back yard since they can open the sliding door. (Are you sensing a theme here?!) Instead, I run out to the front yard and find Logan at the bottom of the drive way on the sidewalk and Adam is 2 houses down with Alex and Nick under his arms!

As we're bringing the boys back into the house (no one was hurt - thank goodness!), I see the screen to the front window laying on the porch. Somehow, the three of them pushed out the screen, climbed onto the porch, climbed off the porch and into the landscaping and then into the yard. I'm guessing Nick and Alex went straight to the sidewalk and then down the street to see how far they could get before we caught them. Thankfully, Logan didn't get too far.

Remember this picture from earlier this summer...

Seems it was all just studying the window to see how they could get the screen out and escape! They actually got it out one other time too, but were caught in the act. This time, they knew to make sure no one was in the room. I should have known when I heard them all giggling!

I guess it happens to all of us. At least they weren't naked! Seems some kids like to go a couple of houses down, knock on the neighbor's door and say hi without clothes on. Wonder who that was...

Itsy Bitsy Spider

2009-09-05T13:57:00.002-05:00

The boys enjoy singing and signing to Itsy Bitsy Spider. Here is a video of them doing it. First is Logan and his abbreviated version. He doesn't quite say all the words, but it's all there. Then Nick joins him and finally Alex stops in the screen to say Hi!

Enjoy!

Bucket

2009-08-27T22:19:00.004-05:00

I guess if they'd rather play with the seat cushions from their potty chairs...

We will just have to teach them to "go" in a bucket...

Okay, so maybe I'm kidding about the bucket.

Just wanted to share some cute pictures of the boys from tonight. (Logan loves to play with grandpa's hat!)

Just saying Hi

2009-08-22T13:03:00.001-05:00

I know it's been forever since the last post... so today we'll get back into the swing of things with a quick video. Nothing special - just the boys saying hi to you (and the camera). The love to watch the display as I take their pictures/video. It's hilarious as they watch the playback and talk to themselves on the screen!

Enjoy!

Hide and Seek

2009-07-12T23:53:00.002-05:00

The boys have found a new hiding spot!
Nick
Logan & Alex
And just because this picture of Nick made me laugh...

Bow Chica Bow Wow

2009-07-09T19:58:00.002-05:00

I got some video tonight of Alex saying (or trying to say) Bow Chica Bow Wow. He's also watching himself on the camera screen while saying it - hence the funky angle.

Summer Updates

2009-07-07T13:33:00.004-05:00

It seems like forever since I've posted about the boys and their new achievements. Well, there's no time like today, right?! Throughout the day, I'll post some updates on the guys and what they've been up to. I can't believe they are almost 2 (21 months old next week)!

In general, they are loving the summer ... at least they love being able to go outside and play! Thank goodness for a privacy fence (which they are learning/trying to climb) and nice back yard for them to run around in and burn off energy! They love to swing and play on their little slide and cars. They also love to try and put absolutely anything in their mouth (rocks, grass, chalk, etc.). We've been able to go swimming a few times this summer both in kid pools and a big pool and they enjoy that a lot. They were much more cautious of the sprinkler!

They're all talking more and more each day and getting better at communicating with us. They are very vocal about food and let us know when it is time to eat. They also help us (kinda) know what they want to eat. We offer options and they shake their heads or say yes/no. They also remind us when it's time to watch TV, or bath time or even nap time. Today we thought Nick was saying he wanted "ju-ju" (juice) but he emphatically said no. Finally we realized he wanted to watch "do-do-do" (Scooby Doo). We still have a little work to do on communication and toddler translation!

We are officially down to one nap a day! We start to get a little groggy at lunch time, but we eventually perk back up. Sometimes we just need a little cat nap...

Enjoy the posts. I'll work on updating the pictures soon. If you ever want more current/up-to-date information - follow me on Twitter or Facebook!

Alex

2009-07-07T13:32:00.001-05:00

aka - Dash, Mr. Incredible

Alex is always full of energy. He requires the least amount of sleep and is always ready to go, go, go! He loves to run and is fast (although he doesn’t always look where he’s going). He especially likes to run away from mom in the opposite direction of his brothers just to see how fast she can chase him. In fact, he likes to do a lot of things he isn't supposed to do. I'm sure it's genetic, but he loves to do something he shouldn't (like grab the lamp), look at us when we say No, smile and then grab the lamp again! Or, laugh at us when we try to scold him. Let's just say Alex has frequent timeouts

Alex is the most advanced in speaking of the three. He was the first one to consistently use a lot of words and string them together. Some of the ones that are still my favorites... "truckts", "lawn mower tractor", "tee-ya" (TV) and some new ones "scooby dooby doo", "K". But my favoritest favorite one is "mommy"! For a very long time, I was "dada" by all of them. Finally I'm mom! Of course, it comes with a price... "mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy..." - but I still love it! He's is really great at mimicking anything we say. Just ask uncle Brandon about the new word he learned this weekend! He is also great at saying Hi! When cousin Sydney was here, we tried to teach him her name before she arrived. Once she was here, he walked right up to her and said "Hi Sydney, Hi Sydney". It might have taken her a bit by surprise - he was kinda "in her space". It is so cute - I'll say Hi Alex and he'll respond with Hi Mommy. (It's the little things that make me happy).

The kid has a full mouth full of teeth! Until the next set of molars, I think he's done popping out teeth for a while. He may have more teeth than his head has room for! He also loves to pick things up and move them. They used to scooch toys around but Alex has decided it's easier to just pick it up and go. That includes the lawn chairs on the back deck. Grandpa wouldn't give up his chair, so Alex went to get his own. Instead of pushing it over to Grandpa, he picked the chair up and almost knocked Grandma in the head with it! Gotta watch that kid!

He is always studying things to figure out how they work. He'll turn the big cars over and play with the wheels - he loves tires and wheels. He's happy to go off and play with something on his own in a corner. He's also happy to dive head first off the couch, upside-down and backwards! But put him on a carousel at the mall and he freaks out!

Alex has been picking out the movies we watch at night lately. Granted, sometimes I have to guide him... otherwise it would always be "Nemo, Nemo, Nemo, Nemo, Dory, Dory, Dory, Dory, Dory, Dory, Nemo, Nemo, Nemo..." You get the point. Over and over and over. I love the talking little man he's becoming!

Logan

2009-07-07T13:31:00.002-05:00

aka - Sharkbait

Logan loves to laugh. It is the best sound in the whole world. He will giggle or break into a full out belly busting laugh. The little man is ticklish too. It is awesome to get him laughing and he'll keep going for a crazy long time. He's also prone to hiccups. Not sure if these two are related or not, but still adorable.

Logan is smaller than his brothers - but that doesn't mean much. He's also learned a dangerous defense mechanism - biting. It's usually Alex, but Nick has been bitten too. Both of these two have learned to say "no biting" quite well! When Logan gets frustrated, he gets mad and tries to inflict pain, either to himself or whoever is around him. I know it's horrible, but he's so cute when he gets frustrated. You just have to stop him before he hurts something/someone! Biting is thankfully a random/rare thing. (Logan has 4 teeth/2 molars on the top and bottom.)

Logan’s language skills are currently the least developed of the three. Until recently, he wouldn't say anything. There were some things he'd sign - milk, more, etc. But in general, he didn't talk... well, he didn't speak English. He'd go on rants in toddler talk as you've seen in some of the movies I've posted on the blog. Otherwise, he was fine pointing and grunting or letting his brothers talk. He's slowly picking up more words now. He also has a few "cue" lines. When we say Sharkbait - he says "ohhha" (as in the movie - oooh-haha). He also growls any time he sees Darth Vader. Not sure how he learned that one! I still like when he tries to communicate "eat". He'll sign it by putting one finger to/in his mouth and just make the "t" sound.

He loves to climb - anything. He was the first to climb out of his crib. He climbs out of his pack n play and can usually scale over half way up a gate. Speaking of gates... he has learned how to open the gate. Granted, since they broke the gate a month or so ago, it isn't quite as strong as before. But he can consistently walk over and pop it open! And then run for it of course! He also enjoys playing with or watching all the bugs (outside only please). He's even picked up a few, but they don't stay alive too long after they get smashed. And then there are rocks. He loves to pick up handfuls and throw them. Or eat them. He tries at least one rock a day, just in case the flavor changes. I love the adventurous little man he's becoming!

Nick

2009-07-07T13:30:00.001-05:00

Nick is hard to describe. He is both "sensitive" and "rough". He definitely clings to mom or grandma (or really any female) when he's tired or in a mood. He sometimes requires a pacifier to calm him down and then won't let it go until he's good and ready. He also tackles his brothers. When they play their version of "tag" - Nick is always it. He's been known to come up behind one of his brothers, give him a bear hug and take him to the ground. He's also the one that initiates hugs and kisses with his brothers. And he likes to help calm a crying brother by putting his finger to his lips and "shushing".

Nick needs his sleep. If he doesn't get it, he's grumpy. When we changed their schedules a few weeks ago and took out one of their naps, Nick was the one I was worried about most. He consistently took both naps, and full advantage of them! Although he's doing well with the new schedule, he more often sleeps in his highchair during lunch than actually eats lunch. He's happy to get down from his chair and go lay on a pillow. He'll eventually perk up and play, but is more than willing to go upstairs for nap time.

Nick has always been good at picking up new signs and using sign language to communicate with us. As he started using more words, we noticed there were still a number of things he'd still choose to sign as well. In fact, for a while, he would not vocalize "milk" - he would only sign it. As we'd go through one of their word books, he'd say all the things he knew, but when he pointed at milk, he'd just sign it. Since then, he's said it a little more, but still prefers to sign it than say it. He started talking shortly after Alex did. He has a number of words he uses but is also very good at giving speeches. He'll get up on a box or table and start a passionate delivery of some speech - granted, I have no idea what he's saying, but he's very passionate about whatever it is! He also likes to point and wave his finger at you. And helps us tell his brothers No, No, No. Granted, he'll also say that when he's caught doing something he shouldn't be doing.

Nick loves, loves, loves to swing! When we go outside, that is the one thing he will spend the majority of his time doing. When we went out to a new park a few weeks ago, all he wanted to do was swing. He tried out the other stuff first, but then once he saw the swings, he never went back. (Actually ended up being helpful as we'd have to chase after his brothers that kept running in opposite directions). He even chooses the swings over swimming in the pool! His brothers wont' get out of the water and Nick just wants to go swing, and swing and swing...

For a while, Nick would tell me he was stinky (potty training - here we come!). He just wanted to play on the changing table and get a fresh diaper. Seems it was calmer on the table than in the play room with his brothers. I love the interesting little man he's becoming!

Portrait Session

2009-06-17T18:56:00.006-05:00

This is from our picture session today. I wasn't supposed to be in the shot, but she thought maybe they'd sit together if I was with them. Yeah....not so much! I think it sums up life with triplet 20 month olds quite well!
And I wouldn't change it for the world! Aren't they cuties - even if they don't like to sit still for the camera!?!

Happy Birthday Dad/Adam!

2009-06-17T06:33:00.002-05:00

We miss you and hope you're having a great birthday! We are anxiously looking out the window for you to come home... okay, so we may not actually be at the window when you get home... but we do look around and ask for you. Mom says you're at work, but we get to celebrate with cake when you get home

Hope you're having a great time. Love you!
Alex, Logan, Nick and Tiffany

Couch Monkeys

2009-06-16T22:15:00.005-05:00

One of the new things the boys have learned is how to turn the couch into a new toy. They found they can lift the couch cushion up and play not only under it, but in so many different ways. I'm in a video mood lately, so here's another video of them playing. The first shots are of Alex and Nick wrestling this morning. Tonight, they were all playing together and having a blast!

Previously, I had asked Alex to try and not have a bruise on his forehead before they get pictures taken (tomorrow). I was hoping that for once since he's been mobile, we could get a picture of him without a big bump on his head. Yeah, well, I don't think he remembered... although at one point, he did adjust the pillows at the bottom of the pile to be closer. Not sure it helped! We'll see in the morning :-)

Swimming

2009-06-15T23:10:00.005-05:00

Okay, so technically it's more like lots of splashing... I have been wanting to take the boys swimming all summer but every time I'm ready to pack up our gear and go, I'm told it's too cold. Don't get me wrong... I love the cool weather we've been having and would happily give up going to the pool to avoid the hot 80-90 degree weather (or more - yuck!). Anyway... enough about me... you're probably wondering when I'm going to get to the good stuff... the boys!

Since we haven't been able to go full fledged swimming yet, we have been playing in a smaller pool at Grandma Carol and Grandpa B's. Cool thing we learned about the small blow up pools... leaf blowers work wonders to pump it up - forget the air compressor! Anyway, I took some videos of the boys playing the last couple of times they've "swam" and compiled them here. Keep in mind as you watch this - the water is very cold! The best part of these clips in my mind - the boys talking. Each of them has a few words to share. If anyone figures out what they're really saying, please let me know - I'll hire you as a translator!!!

Enjoy!

Sleepy Time

2009-06-15T13:55:00.004-05:00

This weekend, we started the boys on a new schedule - only 1 nap a day! They usually take a late morning to early afternoon nap before lunch and then another short nap before dinner. But the late afternoon naps have been hit or miss lately. Some days they are just pooped and sleep well. Other days, it's just an exercise in crib hopping - no sleep for the wicked! Actually, I think this change in schedule will affect Adam and I more than the boys. We're used to getting home from work while they're "sleeping" and having a few minutes, boy free, to fix dinner. Oh well...

We started Saturday and the boys did pretty good. We were able to keep them entertained outside so they "forgot" it was nap time. But at lunch they were pretty quite and tired. Nick even had to get down early to go lay on the couch until his brothers were done. I figured he'd be the most disturbed by this new schedule since he's the one that 90-some percent of the time took both naps (and would ask to go upstairs for the first one). They did well the rest of the day with only the one nap! Sunday was about the same. Today we took them to the park to keep them entertained (after their hair cuts) and they had a blast (more on that soon). When we got home for lunch though, they were sooooo tired! They did well for a while, but then Nick started to fall asleep. Logan wasn't far behind him. Problem was, they were still eating - at least Logan was! Here's a quick video of them at lunch today. Nick was already asleep, Logan was eating but asleep and Alex wasn't far behind...

Of course, we got them out of their chairs and ready for naps... and they perked up and wanted to play again. Granted, that only lasted for about 15 minutes and then they were all rushing the stairs to go to bed... and that's where they are now... so peaceful!

We're Cool!

2009-06-08T07:02:00.004-05:00

We're so cool with our sunglasses!

Musical Cribs

2009-05-23T06:48:00.004-05:00

What is it about bed time that turns a peaceful, quiet, somewhat catatonic toddler into a crazy, just drank a gallon of coffee, no-way-in-heck I'm sleeping now toddler?!?! Recently we have had a few bed times that have been more energetic than the last 2 hours of play time! Of course, it doesn't help that the boys have learned a new skill...

NickAlex & Logan
Logan & Alex
A & L - Notice the "head first" approach

These are pictures I captured from our web cam. Usually the web cam is in the basement so grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles can watch the boys play (Nick is very good at remembering to say bye-bye to the camera each night before heading upstairs). Once the crib climbing started, I moved the camera into their room. Made for very interesting monitoring as they were constantly climbing from one bed to the other!

It all started one morning when we woke up and heard the bedroom door closing. If in their cribs, no one can reach the door to close it. Logan had learned how to climb out of his crib and was free in the room. He quickly modified this skill and got over into Nick's crib. Alex wasn't far behind and they were soon jumping into another crib faster than I could put the second kid down! Nick was the last to join the climbing crew but has now mastered it too. I think the main reason he had to learn was to avoid brothers falling onto him all the time. His crib is in the corner, between the other two, so they were constantly getting into his crib to get to the other.
Sometimes, we're lucky and they'll all sit and read quietly...
But usually... that's not the case! I finally baby-proofed the room except for the box fan on the floor (any suggestions on how to make this baby safe?). Of course, once that was done, no one has crawled out of bed since (knock on wood). Tonight they were so energized and crazy, I decided as long as they all end up in a crib and asleep, I don't care who is where. One baby per bed is nice, but not a necessity!

So, here's the question... what do I do next? Although it drives me crazy when I want them to sleep and they want to play/climb, part of me loves watching them have so much fun (cause they're having a blast!). I can separate the beds - with some major room reorganization. They don't seem to climb if the beds aren't next to each other (as was evident one nap time when I finally just pulled the beds into the middle of the room with a couple of feet in between). Or, I guess we could move to toddler beds... but if they aren't in cribs, will they just always roam the room and never sleep? Any suggestions?????

Speaking of caging kids... they broke the gate again. And this time, it's really broke. They didn't just pull it out of the wall, they broke the plastic bar that attaches to the hinges - ON BOTH ENDS! As frustrating as they have been lately, it is so awesome to see them do this stuff too. Another post with all that stuff is coming soon. Wouldn't trade this for anything!

Lovin' the Choo-Choo

2009-05-17T11:02:00.007-05:00

After going for a walk the other night, I pulled the wagon into the back yard to let the boys play. They had so much fun climbing in and out of the wagon - over and over.
Alex LOVES to help pull or push things around. Here is a short video of him pulling Nick in the choo-choo wagon the other night. The kid has muscles!

Great Weekend ... & a Doctor Visit

2009-05-06T21:25:00.009-05:00

This weekend we had a pretty great weekend with the boys. On Saturday we just hung out around the house. Adam and I were able to be productive as well as get in some great family time - just playing or going for a walk and even nap time was had by everyone! The boys had been feeling kinda out of sorts with runny noses and coughs earlier in the week. But by Saturday they were feeling better, the weather was beautiful - we even put up a new mailbox (small thing, yeah, but I like it so much better)! We also played with bubbles...

Saturday night though, the boys were very, very tired and very, very warm. Seems they weren't as better as they seemed. They all had fevers, got meds before bed, and were in bed early to boot! No one slept well that night and we all got up early on Sunday. By lunch time, Nick had a fever again, but Tylenol kicked its butt and the boys were back outside playing before nap time. Adam's family was over that afternoon and since it was so nice out, we all ate out on the back porch.

Once we were back in for the day, we noticed everyone had fevers this time. After a quick call to Grandma (nurse) Carol, we called the doctor's off hours pager. Seems temperatures of 103 and 104 are not "ideal"... oops! The doctor suggested Tylenol and if it didn't get better bring them in. It was hilarious over night trying to give them their meds. Alex was awake just enough to say "mmmm" when he drank the yummy stuff.

Monday we took them to the doctor. This was our first sickness that required medical intervention outside of the Tylenol bottle. That's 18 months before we had to go to the doctor for this next part!

Anyway, after a long wait at the doctors office (where the boys did surprisingly well with since we interrupted their naps), we got back into the room. The nurse took vitals and then tried to get throat cultures from each of them to eliminate strep. Alex went first and did NOT like it! It made him gag and start to throw up, but my guy sucked it up - literally - and swallowed it back down. Kinda gross (okay so really gross) but kinda cool too. Bad thing was, his gagging freaked her out so much she had to get another swab and do it again. Did not help Alex's mood! When the doctor came in, she was checking out one of the boys on the table and Nick, sitting in my lap, kept looking back at me like "you're going to let her do THAT to ME?!" Long story short (too late), lots of red throats and ears, but no strep or flu! Antibiotics for each and lots of fluids.

Since then, the boys have been improving each day... until this morning. (I know, you thought this post was almost over and now... there's more!? I'll make it quick.) The nanny texted me at work worried about Nick. Seems he developed a rash on his arms and legs and his eye was slightly puffy and red. (Can I just say I love the technology we have at our disposal... she texted me a picture of the rash.) I called the doctor and, figuring he's probably allergic to the antibiotics, suggested some Benadryl. The little man needs to quit this allergic thing - sheesh! Good news is, I think we're finally over all the ickies in our house for a while. Adam (who has also been sick along with the boys) is also finally starting to feel a little better. Let's hope the sick season is behind us and we can move on! Hope you are all doing well! If not, get well soon!

Huntsville Trip - Pictures

2009-04-27T14:03:00.003-05:00

Last week we packed up the boys and went to visit my sister in Huntsville. I'll update more about it soon, but for now I have a slideshow of pictures from the trip. Everyone seemed to have a great time - I know I did. Thanks Angela for having us!!!

Enjoy!

18 Month Checkup

2009-04-25T15:13:00.002-05:00

Last week, on the 16th, we took the boys for their 18 month checkup. We usually take them into the office in their strollers to attempt to control the chaos. Being strapped in usually helps for a little while. Unfortunately, I forgot about the dr. appointment and left the strollers with my mom so they could pack them up in their van for our trip to Huntsville. Thankfully, the boys did very well. We had a little time in the waiting room where the boys ran around. The boys enjoyed looking at the aquarium and watching "Nemo" swim around. Alex tried to say Nemo but it kept coming out Elmo.

The doctor checked them out and they were all doing swell.
Alex: 26 lbs. 2 oz (75th %tile) and 32.9 inches (75th %tile)
Logan: 22 lbs. 0 oz (5-10th %tile) and 30.3 inches (25th %tile)
Nick: 25 lbs. 8 oz (50-75th %tile) and 31.9 (50th %tile)

The only concern was Nick's reaction to peanut butter. We have given the boys peanut butter before and Alex loves it. Logan enjoys it okay. Nick would eat one cracker with it and be done. Just wasn't interested. Oddly enough, on the nights we had peanut butter, Nick's face/chin would get red. It was hard to tell if it was a reaction or just dry skin from winter weather so we didn't have it again for a while. Last week we had it out again and the boys ate some. Poor Nick definitely had a reaction this time. It didn't seem to bother him, but his lip became swollen and his eye looked like someone punched him. This picture was taken after the swelling was already going down (and not the best pic of the little guy).

After mentioning this to the doctor, she suggested we get a blood test to check for allergies. I dropped the other two boys off at home (with the nanny - it was about nap time after all) and Nick and I went to get the blood drawn. He was a super trooper! He did pretty well while we checked in. He sat on my lap and even tried to help me write out his name/information on the forms. Granted, his hand writing still needs some work and so does mine when he keeps taking the pen. We climbed into the chair and he just looked at everyone while they prepped. He didn't cry when they put the tourniquet on but did cry when she poked him. He quickly recovered though as soon as she was done. Poor little guy... A couple of days ago we got the results back and he is in fact allergic to Peanuts. That was about all though. Now we get to take him to a Pediatric Allergist Specialist over in Peoria. Hopefully he can tell us how severe it is and what we need to do. In the mean time, we have a couple of Epi-pens just in case he has a reaction.

Back on a happy note... Later that day after the doctor appointments, Grandma Judy and Grandpa Barry stopped by and dropped off a new picnic table for the boys. They were excited to be able to go outside and play with Grandma and Grandpa. They enjoy running up the hill and along the top (back and forth). Although they didn't exactly "sit" at the table, they did like to climb all over it! It is a very handy table for outdoor snack time!

Easter Egg Hunt - Video

2009-04-15T12:00:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, I took some video of the boys hunting for eggs. I've been trying to edit it together but with no luck. That's where Grandpa B came to the rescue... so, thanks to Dad, I now present... Easter Egg Hunt - 2009...

18 Months Old!

2009-04-14T19:15:00.005-05:00

Today is the boys' 1/2 birthday - Happy 18 month birthday Alex, Logan and Nick!
On Thursday we go for their 18 month checkup and after that I'll post their new stats. Until then, I just wanted to post some random reason my "babies" are so awesome (the good and the bad)...

They will put anything in their mouths. Right now Alex is licking the heat vent. Usually, that's Logan's trick. Nick has been known to fit an entire pacifier in his mouth - the whole thing!
They love boxes. They will climb in them and play contently for a long time. Or push them all over, climb on them and just stand tall, or pull them over to reach something normally out of reach.
They run around crazy-like right before bath time. They get stripped down to the diaper and then just run around the room. They may go in circles or just run back and forth or chase a brother trying to point out brother's belly button. They like to find their own belly buttons. It is crazy the energy they have and burn right before bath time!
Speaking of bath time... They love baths. They try to climb in before their diapers are off. They love to splash the water or turn the faucet on and off. They are not so fond of the shower-spray-down but they love to squirt water on themselves from the rubber ducks. A duck says "quack"
Laughter is awesome... and contagious.
They give lovin's to the stuffed animals and each other and best of all - to us! It is adorable to watch and better to get a big ol' hug.
Light switches are a big thing right now. They love to turn lights on and off. Poor Logan isn't quite able to reach the light switch in the living room, but his brothers can (standing on the box).
I love the way they notice Mr. Moon on nights that he's visible. Usually it's a full moon that they notice, but they will stare out the window for a long time pointing and saying hi/bye. The last time he was out (visible), after getting jammies on, both Logan and Nick remembered he was out there and wanted to wave bye-bye before going back to watch TV.
I Love, Love, Love the fact that they can communicate with us more now. There is still room for improvement of course - we get a lot of grunting and pointing. But when Nick tells me he wants milk (signing to me) there is no question about what he means. They say "more" a lot when they like something and want, well, more. It's even cute when they start signing sleep because they are so tired they can't play any more. And of course the words they are saying and getting better at are just adorable to hear. My favorite tonight was Alex saying TV, which is more like Tyah. I'm also trying to get Alex to say Monster Truck (since he says big truck so much). It comes out more like meh-meh truckt. They're also starting to mimic some words we're saying like hat or hot - out of the blue they just say the word and it catches you off guard that they were paying attention.
If they don't have the words yet, they still have the ability to answer yes/no questions. And they'll answer with emphatic head bobbing. Do you want to go downstairs and play? 3 big yes's. Of course my favorite (and mainly cause it happened to Adam) - this weekend on our way up to visit Grandma Judy & Grandpa Barry, we were hoping the boys would sleep in the car - of course they didn't. Adam said something like "you want to sleep" and Logan simply shook his head "no". Every time we suggested sleeping - Logan said "no". So cute (although maybe you had to be there - typing it out didn't make it sound as cute as I know it was at the time)!
Recently, the dare devils have been getting more adventurous. Tonight I found them diving head first off the couch, usually in a slow manner. Alex has been known to dive off without so much caution. I also saw Nick tonight falling backwards off the couch. He's start off sitting right on the edge and then just scooching enough till he fell right off. At first, it was onto some pillows, but by the end of the night it the pillows were no longer there.
Some of the not so fun things, but still adorable and make me smile once I know they're not hurt - tantrums. It is crazy dealing with them, especially when they seem to come out of no where and for no reason. And it's annoying when they try hurting themselves - banging heads into the floor - or Logan's newest thing is to bite his own hand. But it's kinda cute too.

I never imagined I'd have triplets. The last 18 months has taught me that I'm so lucky and grateful that we did!!!

Happy Easter - Part 2

2009-04-12T21:11:00.003-05:00

Happy Easter everyone, again! Below is a slide show from our day today with Grandma Judy, Grandpa Barry, Aunt Audrey and Uncle David. The boys were not super interested today in the eggs. They just wanted to run free. Grandma and Grandpa have such a big yard and they wanted to check out everything. Unfortunately, it was very windy and the wind was cold! We didn't stay out too long, but they did have a good time running around. Hope everyone else had as great of an Easter weekend as we did! Enjoy some of the pics...

Happy Easter - Part 1

2009-04-12T00:09:00.003-05:00

Happy Easter everyone! Below is a slideshow from our day yesterday with Grandma Carol, Grandpa Brandy and Uncle Brandon. Great-Grandma Kreher and Great-Grandpa Brandy even stopped by to help us hunt eggs.

Today we're heading up to visit Grandma Judy and Grandpa Barry for more Easter fun. I'll update those pics tonight!

Pics from Today

2009-04-11T22:40:00.002-05:00

Here are a few pics from today... Working on some more, but here are these for now...

Almost 18 months old!

2009-04-07T21:04:00.018-05:00

Next week, the boys will be 18 months old. They do so many things each day that are new or interesting, I need to be better at capturing them here on the blog. Is it too late to make a new year's resolution?!
I know I won't think of all the cool things they're doing now, but here are a few...

Ring around the rosies: I know I've mentioned this before, but they have gotten better at it. I still love the way Alex says "Ah-shes, Ah-shes" but now they all like to say down and collapse to the floor. This is the one time I like how they collapse.
Speaking of collapsing, they are big on tantrums right now. They will fall to a heap on the floor and typically bang their forehead into the ground (sometimes even twice). Alex is the best at leaving a mark, Logan is the best at throwing his whole body down and Nick is more careful - seems that hitting your head actually hurts a bit.
We love to share our toys and books, unless we don't. Sometimes they are great at trading with their brother (i.e. I want what you have, so if i give you something else, I can take what I really want). Seems they've learned that from us trying to distract them. Nick is especially good at sharing/trading. And sometimes, he's just doing it to be nice or to help us distract his brother. Of course, when it is a favorite toy and a brother has it, well, see the bullet above! They may move on to play with something else, eventually and grudgingly, but out of the corner of his eye, he'll see the second his brother puts the toy down and then he's off! And of course, even if brother was done with it, as soon as he sees someone coming to take it, he changes his mind and wants it back. So, in general, we either get along or we don't... I think it's called sibling rivalry and it won't end any time soon (right, Ang/Brandon?!). Here is a pic of them sitting in their boxes (another fav) sharing books and toys - it was a good day.
Trucks are still a big thing. Everything is a truck - car, van, motorcycle. We love to watch the garbage men go by and wave at them. And of course, Adam and I love to hear Alex say "Big Truck". It is more like "BIIIGGG Truckt" where the big is louder and the truckt is normal. Other than an additional t on the end of truck, it is very clearly pronounced.
We love to go for walks in our choo-choo wagon. I can even get them to say "choo-choo" while we're walking! They also love to talk while we walk, pointing out trucks (saw that one coming didn't ya) and birds and trees or just babbling consistently. Lots of "truckt" and "caw-caw" (birds). Here is a picture of us with our friends going for a walk. They came over last weekend for a play date. Abby (pushed by daddy Brian) is almost 3 months old and Skyler (pushed by daddy Derek) is 6 months old.
We love to play outside. They have a few toys out there to push around and a car to play in. They also like to swing or just walk up and down the hill. We went to a park to play a few weekends ago and they enjoyed the slide and climbing on the toys. They mainly enjoyed running all over the place with all the open space. I think it was a bonus to see mom and grandma running all over the place trying to wrangle them!
They still enjoy reading and will sit and flip through book after book after book. They sometimes share books and all have their favorites. Of course, the favorites are usually the favs of everyone. One of their newest favorites is "Goodnight Gorilla". They had a smaller version of it (actually a normal size) but as with all of the favorites, tore it up into chunks. Now they have a huge version of it which takes up their whole lap plus some. It is awesome to watch them read it and laugh at all the same spots or act surprised when she finds the gorilla in her bed. They even read the title of the book to us when they're on the first page. Granted, it sounds more like gog-gog-gogogo with a few r's in there somewhere. Love it!
Climbing is our favorite past time. They love to climb up on the couch, onto the back of the couch, up on the storage cubes, onto the table, up into chairs, everywhere! They are even starting to attempt climbing out of their cribs. I don't think they realize really what they're doing, but both Logan and Nick have been caught with one leg swung up on the railing. With a little effort, they'll be over the edge in no time... Yikes!!!
Talking is interesting. Some times they will have complete conversations - just in a whole other language. Nick is especially good at the long monologue, and he gets into it with his head and face, making sure you are following along with him. Sometimes they talk to each other and you have to wonder if the other understands - they have to, right?! They are getting better at telling us what they want. A lot of times it's a point and grunt, but I'm told that's the guy way. They will sign a number of words, mainly milk, eat, more, sleep, sometimes play. I think Nick even signed banana this morning. Poor kid was starving and I was trying to teach him new signs! He just laughed when I'd sign cereal. Even if they don't say the words, they love to answer yes (or no) by emphatically shaking their heads.
Who am I? Well, typically I'm dada even though if I remind them, they can say mama. Whatever, I'll get over it. The cool thing is that they can all point to their brother when named - Where's Alex? Everyone points to Alex (although Alex may point to a brother). Where's Nick? Everyone points to Nick (again, he probably points to brother). Where's Logan? You get the point. Alex can even say Nick (sorta - at least you realize it's supposed to be Nick) and Nick can even say Alex (same story here). No one really can say Logan (although A & N say something, just not intelligible) and Logan doesn't even try to say his brother's names.

Well, I know there's more I'm forgetting, but for now, here's a chunk of them. I'll post more as I think of them! I'll leave you with a few cute pictures of the boys. Grandma Judy made some new hooded bath towels for us and the boys loved playing with them. Question is, are our little Jedi leaning to the light or dark side?!

Where's your tongue?

2009-03-28T23:10:00.003-05:00

Below is a quick video of the boys playing in their boxes the other day and showing me their tongues...

Amazes Me

2009-03-26T17:10:00.006-05:00

It amazes me how smart these guys are. I know I'm biased, but they're so cute and smart... it amazes me daily. I am way behind on updating you on their progress over the past month or so, but here's a quick insight to our last hour or so...

Logan: He's teething. They all are, but he seems to be the most bothered by it lately. We have found him starting to bite us every once in a while. Not a full bore, sink his teeth into something, but more like a quick nibble. He was sitting on my lap and Adam was sitting next to us. He bit my chest and I, surprised, jerked and quickly said "no!" He got mad at me and head-butted me (their newest thing when their mad - although my chest is softer than the floor which is their typical target). He then looked up at Adam, back at me and crawled over to Adam's arms giving me a dirty look. "I don't like you mom, I want dad!" It was so cute!

Alex: One of his newest favorites is Trucks. He loves to point at them as they go by. Or if they hear a big truck coming down the street, he'll go to the window and say "truck". They also found their belly buttons a couple of weeks ago, and since Alex has a shirt on today (vs. onesie), he keeps pulling up his shirt and showing us his belly button. You know they're saying belly button, but it isn't quite right. Alex also likes to sing to us every once in a while. He'll be mumbling and suddenly you realize he's saying "Ashes, Ashes... Down" (as in Ring around the rosies). His version of Aa-she, aa-shes... Adorable!

Nick: Nick has been helping out a lot lately by putting the toys away. Granted, he'll typically dump the toy box over, throw the toys all over, laugh hysterically, and then pick all the toys back up and into the box. (Dad particularly likes this last part of the process.) Lather, rinse, repeat. This afternoon, they all had their water cups in the play room and one was tipped over and dripping water on the carpet. Adam retrieved the cups and threw a towel into the room to dry it up. Nick was sitting there, grabbed the towel and tried wiping up the mess. How awesome!

We just had a dinner as a family (amazing). Adam fixed meatloaf and potatoes... we all sat down at the same time and had the same food. I also gave the boys spoons to use tonight. Usually they like to eat the spoons without any food on them. Tonight, Nick was actually picking up food, putting it on the spoon and eating it. Amazing...

Boxes

2009-03-21T10:19:00.003-05:00

This morning we pulled out some new boxes for the boys to play in. They have been fighting over their toy container lately so we figured we get 3 for them to play with. They had a blast... until...

They kept pushing them across the room and when the boxes hit the wood floor, the box flew faster than the boy and he'd end up falling on his face. They all did it at least once, but Alex took the award. The bump on his head below is his trophy. And the fat lip... that was from another incident later... with the same box.

At this point, the boxes have been removed from the room and may never come back into the play arena...

2009-03-14T16:25:00.003-05:00

The weather is so nice today, we were out playing in the back yard. I'll post more pics later and we might even go out again after dinner, but for now, here's a quick shot of them all sitting on the step drinking their water...

The Fonze

2009-03-11T22:07:00.001-05:00

Alex and Adam were playing last night. I love hearing Alex laugh like this. Check out the video!

Later and Water

2009-02-26T23:18:00.005-06:00

I have very smart babies. They have all mastered the "Yes" and "No" nods at the appropriate times - usually. Some exceptions include when a very stinky-baby Alex was asked if he was stinky and he laughed and shook his head no, repeatedly - guess potty training is still a little ways off. They know what we're talking about when we talk to them and know where they are supposed to go when we mention going "downstairs" to play or "upstairs" for naps - different gates for the different locations. They even do what we ask them to, every once in a while.

They also have a handful of signs they'll use to communicate with us. Yesterday I taught Nick (and Logan) how to sign "later". In context, the weather was so nice yesterday that they went outside in the morning and afternoon to play! They were out in our back yard learning how to climb up (and down) our hill. So of course when we came home from work, they were excited to go back outside. I told them we'd go later - it's too dark out now. I signed later for Nick and he just looked at me for a while. After a while, Nick and Logan started signing that they were ready for their baths. Still a half hour from bath time, I again signed later to them. Nick started waving his arm/hand to mimic mine. It isn't 100% (as the L sign is a little advanced), but it's so cute to see him sign it. Logan must have been watching too because he was joining in with Nick. Tonight they repeated the sign, without my prompting. Okay, so I was saying later (we can't see Mr. Moon tonight because of the clouds but we'll look for him "later"), but wasn't signing it. Nick looked at me, started shaking his head yes and signing "later". I'm so thankful that they are smart little guys! Now if only they'd start using their words!

Something else we learned/tried this week was drinking water. It sounds odd, but they've only had milk or juice before. I just started the other day giving them a drink from my cup with water in it. There are mixed results. Eventually, everyone drinks the water, but Logan likes to spit some of it back out, either back into my glass (gross) or all down himself or onto the floor - you've been warned. I also started using some sippy cups with straws this week. Logan will drink a whole glass of water and not want to put it down. Alex drinks when he's not busy doing something else. Nick drinks it, I think. I'm not fully convinced he's learned how to suck it through the straw. Some times it looks like he does but other times he just looks frustrated. Maybe he's just frustrated that it's water and not the diet Pepsi he tried last weekend!

I'm updating the slide show on the right hand side of the blog. It has some pictures of the boys from the last week. Some are from being out in the yard yesterday. Some of them are just cute, around the house pics.

Harry Potter?

2009-02-19T18:39:00.004-06:00

Some quick shots of the boys playing today and trying on glasses. All they're missing is the lightning shaped scar. Kahchow!!! - oh wait, different "lightning" movie. I love Mater! (Just enjoy the pictures and ignore the crazy stream of consciousness - is it Friday yet?!)

Choo-Choo!

2009-02-12T19:12:00.004-06:00

The weather was so nice today we got to take the boys out again! This time, I finally finished constructing the choo-choo wagon. We let the boys play with it for a while and they liked pushing it - around and around and around... Short video of that below:

The drive way was a bit steep for them the first time and there were a couple of tumbles. But we put them in the wagon and they were happy to just sit there and ride. We didn't even have to put the belts on! Granted, we just went to the end of the block and back.

Then we went out to the back yard and they loved playing on the deck/patio. They each had their own way to get down the (2) steps from the deck to the patio. Alex wanted to dive forward and have us catch him (as he does off the couch all the time). Nick turned backwards and crawled down without any problem. Logan backed down the first one and then held onto the rail for the second one. I shouldn't be surprised with as much as they climb in the house, but we've never had them go down stairs before. They love to go up the stairs each day for naps or baths, but never down.

Anyway, it was so nice to get out and play. Makes me want the spring to be here even more (but again, without heat or bugs). Also, I added some new pictures to the picture show to the right hand panel. Enjoy!

A Dragon Growls

2009-02-11T22:13:00.003-06:00

For a while now, I've been trying to get a good video of the boys growling to share with you. Tonight I finally got a good one! They were all playing on the storage blocks - Alex loves to climb to the very top box and Logan likes to get in the bottom "drawer". Check out the video...

"What does a dragon say?"

Or view the video on YouTube

Wonderful Weather

2009-02-08T19:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was so nice outside, we tried to get the boys out more than usual. That isn't hard since the boys hardly leave the house! We make our weekly trip to the grocery store and that's about it. Even the boys realized how nice the weather was. We opened the windows for a little while and they loved looking out (and pounding on the screen). We packed them up to go to Sam's (bananas and diapers needed - again) and they were all hyper and excited... to be in the car! Must have been the sun. Usually when they get in the car, they just veg for a while. They had fun watching all the people at the store too.

After we got back, we went for a walk. I've been wanting to use their new choo-choo wagon they got for their birthday, but I keep forgetting that I haven't finished putting it together. So, we just took the stroller out instead. They had fun pointing at all the things they usually only see from the windows. Lots and lots of "tre"(trees) and a couple of "tuk" (truck - which could sometimes be "ca" car or truck). And of course there were a couple of "bir" (birds) that say "caw-caw". They were not happy to have to come back inside.

Last night and tonight, the boys noticed Mr. Moon (or Ms. Moon - Adam and I are still debating on this). It is a pretty full moon that is rising right outside our playroom window. I turned off the lights so they could see him better. They were all at the window waving Hi to Mr. Moon. Then when I turned the lights back on, Nick was not happy. He kept walking over and pointing to the light switch, wanting me to turn the lights back off. Once (or twice) he even tried climbing on something to reach the switch himself. Tonight even Logan was wanting the lights back off. It took a bit of effort to distract Nick - very determined to see and wave at Mr. Moon!

Thanks Mother Nature for a nice February day to take the boys out! Of course, now I just want to take them out more and let them run free for a while. Too many gates and small spaces. Can I have spring/summer weather without the bugs and heat? Or maybe a few more snow days to go sledding again?!

Fun Day

2009-01-31T23:35:00.009-06:00

Today was a very full, very fun day. Thought I'd share some of the pics and some video of our day. In addition to the fun a regular day brings, this afternoon we got haircuts and went sledding! Thanks Uncle Brandon for coming up to help with the sleds. I wasn't brave enough to take them anywhere to advanced, so we just used the hill in the back yard. Turned out perfect for what we needed!

Here is a picture show and video... enjoy!

Reading Time

2009-01-26T14:45:00.003-06:00

A peaceful moment observed...
... They don't usually last too long, so we enjoy each and every one of them!

Nick - 15 months

2009-01-22T23:33:00.003-06:00

Current stats:
Height: 31 3/4 in.

Weight: 25lb 4 oz

Teeth: 6 - 3 top, 3 bottom.
What he's up to now...

Nick is very good and consistent at signing. He will sign "more", "sleep", "all done", "play" (although it's very close to all done and usually at the same time - all done, let's play) and "bath". He also can do some of the motions to songs like "If you're happy and you know it", "Patty Cake" and "Itsy-"bitsy spider".

Likes to give kisses - big sloppy, wet, open mouthed kisses. Cute and gross all at the same time!

Likes to sit down and read a book. He likes to sit in your lap (or between our legs while sitting on the floor) and read his book or have you read it to him. He's also often found sitting and reading a book by himself or more likely, reading it out loud to all of us in the room.

Enjoys telling us what the tiger/lion/dragon/dinosaur says - "Roar". It's so cute to hear him roar!

Likes to talk to us a lot. He is also pointing at things a lot more. He's either asking what is "that" or he's telling us a story about whatever it is.

Enjoys climbing on the couch and playing with his brothers up there.

Nick likes to dance too. It's more like his doing squats, but it's very cute in his little white boy way.

Hates to have his diaper changed (laying down often causes tantrums). Hates to get out of the bath and is quite often almost dropped back in the tub due to squirmy activity (wet babies are very slick!). Hates to get his faced wiped really hates this and always has.

Logan - 15 months old

2009-01-22T23:31:00.002-06:00

Current stats:
Height: 30 1/2 in.

Weight: 21lb 6 oz

Teeth: 6 - 4 top, 2 bottom. There may be more coming in, but he won't typically let me in his mouth to see. But the amount of drool coming out of that boys has to indicate something (and I think teeth is the safe bet).

What he's up to now...

Logan is our biggest flirt. He loves to smile big and be all cute in front of strangers. He warms up to them pretty well.

Pickiest eater! I know I'm picky so I can't talk much, but he continually changes his mind! In general, he likes things that are crunchy or mushy/liquid. But if it's somewhat firm, somewhat mushy (like little bites of carrots or rice), forget it!

If he wants a kiss or you ask him for one, he leans in and offers his forehead to you. That's your sign that you can kiss him on the forehead and that's good enough. It's so cute to see him lean in towards you and know that is what he's looking for!

Likes to sit down and read a book. Sometimes he'll go and grab a book, climb into your lap and let you read it, but usually, he'll just grab a book and read it to himself. He may do this for quite a while - so peaceful!

Enjoys telling us what the tiger/lion/dragon/dinosaur says - "Roar". It's so cute to hear him roar!

Loves to watch the birds and animals outside. He says "bird" and tells us they "caw". Also likes to lick the window while watching outside. The good with the bad I guess.

Enjoys climbing on the couch and playing with his brothers up there. Climbing in general is fun. Logan has learned to take a box or toy over and use it to climb up. His brothers typically follow suit, but his is almost always the one to get the box in the right place. Sometimes he's just as happy climbing up and getting down and climbing back up and getting back down, etc.

Loves to bite the diaper boxes! There are numerous chunks missing from the diaper boxes and I'd guess all the bites are Logan sized!

Logan is a dancer... and not too shabby! If the music is on, he's bob his head and then start grovin' out. Much better rhythm than his brothers (and sometimes better than dad too).

Hates to have his diaper changed (laying down often causes tantrums). Hates to get out of the bath and is quite often almost dropped back in the tub due to squirmy activity (wet babies are very slick!). Hates to get his faced wiped.

Alex - 15 months old

2009-01-22T23:30:00.002-06:00

Current stats:
Height: 31 1/2 in.

Weight: 25lb 6 oz

Teeth: 7 - 3 top, 4 bottom. Just got a new one last week. If I didn't see them appear in his mouth, I'd never know they were there. They don't seem to bother him so far, and I'm grateful for that!

What he's up to now...

"Fast Feet" - He loves to stomp and move his feet really fast. It's such a cute little dance thing. He especially likes to do it on a floor where it makes more noise - kinda like tap dancing.

Loves to eat all things meat! Not sure how he can stand them, but he loves the little baby meat sticks (kinda like mini hot dogs only grosser). And any other meat is devoured upon putting it on his tray. He even refused to eat the other baby food the other night in favor of more chicken.

For as aggressive he can be at times, it is so awesome to get a big hug that is very tight. And rarely but occasionally, he'll come over and give a quick kiss - then turn around and walk back to what he was doing.

Love to have the water sprayed in his face during bath time. Sometimes he goes a bit spastic too, but still looks up and wants more.

Likes to have books read to him. He'll go and grab a book, climb into your lap and let you read it. He's also just as happy joining his brother while you read a book to him. Brother doesn't always like it, but Alex will just sit (or stand) and watch without trying to take over the book (like his brothers do).

Enjoys telling us what the tiger/lion/dragon/dinosaur says - "Roar". It's so cute to hear him roar!

Very talkative right after he wakes up. He also has learned an evil laugh - quite hilarious to hear - and a bit scary too.

Enjoys climbing on the couch and playing with his brothers up there. Climbing in general is fun.

Hates to have his diaper changed (laying down often causes tantrums). Hates to get out of the bath and is quite often almost dropped back in the tub due to squirmy activity (wet babies are very slick!).

Comedians

2009-01-19T09:50:00.004-06:00

This weekend, while they were supposed to be napping, Logan decided to take off his sock and entertain Alex with it... Check out the video below:

Morning Monkeys

2009-01-10T09:53:00.004-06:00

This morning it is official... They have learned to climb up on the couch. They have been doing this off and on all week, but usually there just happens to be a box near by (or a brother) that they can use as leverage. Today, Logan specifically took a box over, climbed on it and then onto the couch... over and over again. At first I tried to discourage the activity. Yeah, that didn't last long. So, we moved the couch out a little so they couldn't grab the lamp and let them climb. They were having a blast. Alex did fall off the side (head first) once, but then was fine.

Here's a view into our morning...

Or view on YouTube.com

Long over-due update...

2009-01-06T22:03:00.000-06:00

One of my goals for 2009 is to blog more often. The thought is if I do it more often, I don't save up so much information that I overload one post (like this one) with too much information. Or worse yet, I don't forget something that is post-worthy but because I waited so long to post, I forgot about it... like our visit with Santa last month! Let's just say the boys weren't fans. I updated the slide show in the right hand side of the blog with new pictures. There is one there that is a blur of babies sitting/screaming/trying to get away from Santa. Maybe next year will go better!

We love our new playroom in the basement. One of the fun things they can now do with so much space is races. They run back and forth chasing each other or just for the fun of it. Great fun for them and it tires them out - that's what we call a win-win situation! Alex is the fastest but Nick is the most "graceful" as Grandma Williams would say (i.e. not graceful at all). The boy can crash and get back up like a pro! They also love to climb. They each have their own favorite way to endanger their lives - I mean climb. They all like to climb up on top of the diaper boxes (more about those later). Alex will climb up on "his" little riding/walker toy and stand on the seat, look around very proud of himself to see who else is seeing him up so high. Logan and Nick like to climb up on the storage cubes. Logan has even climbed onto the top cube. I'm trying to teach them to climb down so that when they do it while I'm not looking (their favorite time of course), they at least have a chance to not bust their heads open. Let me be optimistic about this for a while longer please.

We love our diaper boxes! We pulled out 3 boxes for them to play with a while ago and they are still in love with them! First it was learning how to get in them and of course back out. Then they pushed the boxes (sometimes with a brother in it even) and became big enough to lift and carry the boxes. Now they have learned to turn them over and climb on top. For at least 2 days, Alex was so proud of it, he wouldn't get down. He'd sit on a box for 10 minutes (at least) and be happy - sometimes even if he didn't have a toy. Just sit there and watch his brothers. Of course, they've moved from just sitting on them to standing up on them. And the next progression... use the boxes to climb up higher! Tonight we were learning to climb up onto the couches and Alex was even using the height advantage to get a better view of the gate (I'm sure he was planning their next escape). They aren't able to breech the gate that is bolted into the wall, but the other adjustable gate is fair game. They have figured out that if they push it in just the right spot for long enough, it will tumble over - and they're free!!! Of course they make so much noise on the wood floor that we catch them before they get too far.

Another thing they have been doing lately is perfecting their tantrum skills. Originally it was just a whiny cry until you distracted them with the next toy. Then as their memories got better and they remembered that they didn't want the blue toy they wanted the green one... Tantrums turned into a complete collapse onto the floor in a heap. Occasionally this means bonking your head very hard on the floor too, but that just makes the crying sound more real (and makes it even hard to keep mom and dad from laughing). Now they're going full steam and have added some thrashing and rolling around in the mix. Here is a short video of Nick when he first started thrashing. The one I really wanted to get a video of was Logan the following night - he threw in a couple more roll-overs in each direction. Keep in mind, this is after I tried to comfort him and he wanted nothing to do with it/me...

The boys are getting much better at communicating with us. They have a number of signs that they use and it is so adorable! Not only is it exciting that they can tell us what they want or at least show that they know what we're saying. But the way their little hands do it is precious! The biggest one is "more" while they are eating and "all done". My favorites are "sleep" and "bath". We ask if they want to take a bath, no matter what they were doing, all three of them stop and start signing "bath". Granted, it isn't the right ASL sign for bath, but they all do it and are so enthusiastic about it that it makes it okay. They do have some words that they say (and mean), but some imagination is still required. "Birds" (which say "caw") is an easy to distinguish - and they'll stand at the window watching the birds for a while, especially Logan. "Duck" (that says "quack") is also pretty clear. "Dada" and "Momma" are clear, although I'm often Dada initially until they remember momma. I'll have to start a list of what all they are saying (and someone more than just myself understands) and post another blog about our words and communication.

Both Alex and Nick got new teeth in December. That brings Alex up to 6 (3 top, 3 bottom); Logan has 6 (4 top, 2 bottom); and Nick has 5 (3 top, 2 bottom). I'd swear they were getting more with all the drool lately, but I haven't noticed any. They're not fond of me sticking my finger in their mouths either. Although they do like to brush their teeth. Of course they prefer to not have mom and dad's help (which means they just suck on the tooth brush). I'm just happy that it helps get rid of the icky, stinky baby breath!

New foods and feedings are still my biggest struggle with them! Part of it is me not wanting to change what works (laziness kicking in - stay in the comfort zone). It's just easier to open a jar of baby food and shovel it in. We have a couple of kinds that are easy meals and some that we know we'll have a fight with (typically Logan and anything with chunks - especially carrots). If they could live on goldfish and yogurt alone they would be happy boys! We have been eating more new foods this week. I'll dedicate a future post to this topic so until then, be thinking of suggestions for easy foods to get them to eat... I need all the help I can get!

Last but not least, I wanted to close this post with a congratulations and welcome... We are very happy to have a new nephew/cousin - Halas Daniel Wise - who was born on December 30th. Both Halas and mom (my sister) are home and doing well. We're excited to see new pictures of him and hopefully get a chance to go down and meet him this spring. For more information about my sister and her family, check out their blog. Welcome to the family Halas!!!

Winter Walk

2008-12-31T12:47:00.003-06:00

We took the boys for a walk yesterday in the "warm" weather. They look so cute in their coats!!! (Of course, I'm a little biased)

Bennington Christmas 2008

2008-12-27T18:11:00.012-06:00

We had a great Christmas! We were surrounded by family and the boys loved it. We started the morning opening gifts with just the 5 of us. There were some grumpy boys, mainly frustrated by not being able to immediately play with their new toys. They were much better once the toys were out of the boxes ... there were new toys after all! They did enjoy the wrapping paper though - tasted yummy. In the afternoon we had both sides of our family over to the house. The boys loved the attention of being surrounded by adults all wanting to help them get those toys out of the silly boxes again!

We have such a great family! Everyone spoiled the boys and the boys loved every minute of it. I hope everyone had as wonderful of a Christmas as we did! Happy Holidays!

Bed Head

2008-12-21T18:18:00.005-06:00

I promise I'll post a real entry soon, but for now, here's an adorable picture of Nick right after he woke up from his nap this afternoon...

The Awkwardness of Being 14 Months Old

2008-12-14T06:49:00.001-06:00

The boys are at a very interesting time in their development right now and its creating some unique parenting circumstances.

The entire world is (literally) new to them. They have the energy and a new found mobility to explore it. They are testing & investigating everything. Its really fun to watch them with a new toy or encounter a new situation for the first time. They are learning at a faster rate now than they will probably ever learn in the future.

And yet... Its seems like such an awkward age, although its probably a lot more awkward for us than it is for them. They lack language, emotional skills, and fine motor skills. They can't tell us what they want quite yet (although they are all getting pretty adept at signing), but they are developing likes and dislikes. They can't quite keep themselves entertained during a meal out and yet they don't sleep in the carriers any more. But they thoroughly enjoy Olive Garden bread sticks. They haven't learned some of the finer motor skills like "touch nice." (They tend to slap, crush, and headbutt.) Which means they want to touch everything, but unless its made for kids, it gets beaten up. (My parents golden retriever is dumbfounded by them.) They aren't interested in specific toys (any box will do fine), but they like to play. Their attention span is longer than it was, but still not terribly long. And they are very mobile, but not quite mobile enough for us to, say, let them run free at a park while we watch.

In essence, we want to take them everywhere, but most of the time we don't feel like we can. They are just on the cusp of "getting it" but not quite there. For Tiff & I as parents, its both neat and a mildly frustrating.

Which isn't to say we are shut ins and never take the boys out. It's just hard finding experiences and places that match this age. Any suggestions???

Where once was a basement...

2008-12-07T22:54:00.002-06:00

Now is a PLAY ROOM!

My brother helped us transform our basement into a play room for the boys. We needed to "cage" the boys in and make is more toddler proof. Our original idea was to put some snow fence up - cheap, quick - not exactly Home and Gardens though. Brandon had the idea to do a picket fence. Now the boys can play "out in the yard" all year long! We even found some green carpet for the grass. The boys love the new space and new toys. We were finally able to get out some of their birthday gifts since we have more room! Thanks Uncle Brandon for an awesome play room!!!

The Boys on TV!

2008-11-25T21:10:00.002-06:00

Today, the boys were on the local Decatur TV News. Okay, so technically, Grandma Carol was on the news. But the boys were there while she did her interview so there are some cute shots of the boys too!

Before I post the video, I want to explain what it's for... and mention how proud we all are of Grandma Carol!!! Back in September, mom was selected to participate in the Central Illinois Biggest Loser contest sponsored by the local TV station. There were 10 people selected from her town and a total of 30 people competing. So far, she's lost 20 lbs. Keep up the good work mom!

To help mom up the incentive/motivation, my brother Brandon decided to try and loose some weight too. So far he has lost 23 lbs. We're proud of you too! I'm so jealous of both of them. They are doing great and we want to support them however we can... Keep it up!

Here's the video:

Or go to the WAND TV Web site for the video

Blocks

2008-11-25T19:07:00.002-06:00

Let's just say... It's harder than you'd think to get three 1 year olds to sit still for a pictures. They're all too eager to walk everywhere. But we liked the blocks!

Aloha and Mahalo!

2008-11-22T21:16:00.015-06:00

Aloha and Mahalo! Adam and I have spent the last week here in Hawai'i on Waikiki Beach and had a very nice time.
We arrived on Saturday and spent our time familiarizing ourselves with the hotel. We ate at the Italian restaurant on site and had our first price shock. The food was great, but extremely expensive for pasta. Sunday we tried the breakfast buffet here at the hotel. $60 for breakfast buffet... and about 1/2 of it was more Japanese style (sushi, etc.). Yeah, I'm not so exotic with my eating habits. Okay, so we obviously need to eat places other than the hotel property... We spent the rest of the day exploring the Waikiki Beach area. We found some nice shopping malls and the International Marketplace. We also found the ABC stores. There are hundreds of them (and I'm not exaggerating) on the island. It's kind of like a Walgreens with souvenirs too. They are almost on every block (or two). Sunday night, we ate at Benihana of Tokyo. Here they cook your food right in front of you. I actually ate all of my food (except the salad) with chop sticks! I've never used them before and I'm not usually adventurous with my food. I ate/tried everything and was very proud of myself (granted, I did get a steak for the main course - not real adventurous there).

Monday we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center on the north side of the island. It was about an hour drive through scenic Oahu (although all of Oahu is scenic). We got to see how the islanders used to live and live today on the different Polynesian islands (before and after the missionaries). We also went to a luau and watched them unearth the (big) pig. They finished the night with a show - lots of dancers and even some fire throwers!

Tuesday we went to Pearl Harbor and toured the USS Arizona Memorial - very somber but very nice. After that, we boarded the USS Missouri (aka "Mighty Mo") and toured the decommissioned battleship that served as the signing spot for the treaty that ended WWII.

Wednesday through Friday, Adam had conference sessions in the morning then we spent our afternoons by the pool enjoying the sun and our books! Wednesday and Friday we had conference sponsored dinners. Thursday night we went on a ghost walking tour around downtown Honolulu. It wasn't bad, but we've been on better.

Adam earned the trip by completing his ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant) certification from The American College. Friday they had the commencement ceremonies where he walked across the stage to get his certificate. (This isn't him walking across the stage - those pictures turned out blurry. But they displayed the certificates on the big screen.) It was a nice ceremony, but very, very long. There were about 500 people that walked! Thankfully, I sat next to a nice gal from Ohio that was also a mom of 2 year old twin girls. Made the 2 1/2 hour long ceremony go much faster! After the "luau" (that was moved indoors because of the potential rain), there were fireworks on the beach - lots of them. Very impressive to see!

Today it rained, a lot. We were going to go to the Waikiki Aquarium, but the rain put a hamper on our travel plans. Instead, we went to the major mall near by. Tomorrow we head home... which brings me to Mahalo...

Mahalo is the Hawaiian word for Thank You. And that is what I need to say...

Mahalo to our parents (and brother and sisters) for watching our children while we've been here! Without you, we would have not been able to come on the trip. Mahalo for giving up your free time to let the boys take over your lives for days at a time.

Mahalo to my husband for working so hard to complete the certification that earned this trip to Hawai'i. Without your hard work, we probably never would have come here!

Mahalo to the boys for having a great time with grandma and grandpa and grandma and grandpa and Aunt Audrey and Uncle Brandon! Hopefully you're not having so much fun that you forget who we are! We miss you bunches! And Mahalo to Brandon and Grandpa B for the pictures and the web cam... it's been nice to see the boys walking and playing from this far away!

As nice as it is here, it will be very nice to be home with our family! Aloha!

13 Months Old

2008-11-14T23:07:00.001-06:00

Hey Everyone! This is Alex, Logan and Nick coming at you! Mom and dad have been busy packing their bags this week, so we thought we'd update the blog and let you know all the cool new tricks we've been perfecting since we turned 1...

We are all walking now. Yes, Alex, we know you have been walking for a while now, but now we are too. It all happened right around Halloween (that was fun) and since then we've only gotten better and faster!

Have you guys noticed the difference in our meals? Yeah! So long bottles, hello sippy cups. I'm not so excited about the sippy cups, but the whole milk is so much better than the formula. Although why do they give it to us cold? I think I liked the warm a little better. I think that's why they still give us one bottle at bedtime with warm milk, so we have a little bit of the old as we adjust to the new. And then there's the goldfish! Yes, Nick, we know you have learned to love the goldfish. Alex, you like the crackers better but I, Logan... love it all! And Nick and I have even started to tell mom and dad that we want more (and sometimes that we're finished) using signs.

Speaking of talking with our hands... Do you notice how excited mom and dad get when Nick moves his hand back and forth at them? Guys, I think they call it waving. When ever some says Hi or Bye, we're supposed to look out the window and wave. It takes a little practice - at first I shook my whole body with both hands, but now I can wave with just one hand (and sometimes both). They think it's great... you should try it sometime.

Forget about the waving, I'm usually too busy trying to climb over the silly gates. Yeah Logan, you are often told No when you are doing it, but you keep trying. (I don't like that word No, so I typically ignore it - Logan) It's fun to try and climb the gates, but have you tried climbing the boxes? Mom and dad got us these awesome gifts after our birthday - diaper boxes! We've been pushing them all around and climbing up on top of them. Sometimes, if it's just right, we can climb from the boxes to the couch! It's also pretty cool when we get in them and someone pushes us around in them.

Nick, you totally missed out the other day! Logan and I broke down the gate and climbed upstairs to find mom and dad. Again, they were packing so we thought we'd come up and help. They looked like they weren't expecting us or something. It's so fun to climb the stairs though. And breaking free is of course what we aim for all the time!

Peek-a-boo! I love that game! I think it's funny when Alex stands around the corner, peeks around and Logan, you bust up laughing! It makes me laugh too. And when mom and dad play with the blankets... I don't know where they go under those things, but they are funny when we pull off the blankets and find them - or one of you.

Hurry up and finish! Mom just realized we were all together plotting. She's bound to come in and figure out what we're doing. Well, that's it for now... we'll post more next time we can get some computer time. Bye!!!

Note: Okay, so obviously this is a little late in posting. I had it started before we left for vacation, but didn't get to finish it before we left. Either way... enjoy!

Logan & Uncle Brandon

2008-11-09T19:36:00.004-06:00

Because this was just so cute... Logan has such an awesome laugh! Here is a video from fun time with Uncle Brandon...

1st Haircuts

2008-11-05T23:03:00.003-06:00

Shortly after their birthday, we took them to get haircuts. It was long over due! They were all starting to get shaggy and mullets are NOT back in style! We took the boys to Cookie Cutters here in town. They specialize in kids' cuts. They are set up with different stations that all have TV screens and DVD players. They have a couple with PS2s at them even! The boys got to sit in a car (with a working horn) and watch Baby Einstein. They did great! The only time they really got upset was when she blocked their view of the screen (definitely my kids). It was so different seeing them with their short hair at first. But now as I look back at pictures and see their old hair, I like their new cuts even more!

Also, don't forget to check out the new pictures on the slide show (right hand pane of the blog). So much has been going on over the past 3 weeks since their birthday. Now it's time to catch up the blog!

1st Birthday Party

2008-11-05T22:03:00.003-06:00

On October 18th, 2007, we brought home 3 healthy baby boys from the hospital. It was only fitting that one year later, we were able to celebrate the day with all our friends and family. And we have such great friends and a wonderful family. We could not have made it through this past year with out everyone that helped us out. Thanks!!!

The boys had a good time at their birthday party. The weather was very cooperative so we were able to be both inside and outside. We moved their highchairs out into the garage for their second attempt at cake. This time I only gave them cupcakes and they seemed to be much cleaner! They still weren't very excited to try it. I even tried putting Cheerios on it, but Logan was the only one that fell for it, and he didn't like it.

The boys enjoyed all the people and attention. Thanks again to everyone who was able to make it! And thanks for helping us make it through this first year.

Here are some pictures from the day...