Monday, July 20, 2009

July Memories - Catching Up With Pictures

























July has been a busy month with out-of-town visitors. We have been so blessed to have family members travel to Knoxville to see the kids and the rest of the family - and the sights of East Tennessee, of course. I realized that I had neglected to post pictures from our trip downtown to the Market Square interactive fountain in early July. The Isch's (my side of the family) came to town for about 4 days from Ohio and we were lucky to get in a great day of playtime for the kids and sightseeing for the adults.
Aunt Marsha, Uncle Bill and cousins Marshall and David have also been in Knoxville in the process of taking David to camp. We had a great time with them at the zoo this past Saturday as well as adult-time to celebrate Troy's birthday at Pelancho's one Saturday evening.
We had more visitors from OH (my side again) this past weekend as well as my cousin and his twin boys from Denver, CO. Again, we had great fun catching up and getting some pictures taken at the same time.

I have a hard time adding captions or descriptions to the pictures when I post on the blog, so I'm going to try to let you know who is in the pictures:

The blonde toddler is Emma Grace from OH and is my cousin, Susan's,daughter. The kids had a lot of fun playing with Emma Grace during her visit because she is a little older and has more freedom than they do and they wanted to find out how that was possible. She was with Clark in the rocker at Mast General Store downtown. She was also part of the water play in Market Square a few weeks ago. There are also pictures including my cousins, Pat and Larry and their daughter,(adult) Kristen (as well as their other daughter, Susan and their granddaughter, Emma Grace).

Aunt Marsha is in a picture with Emma. Marshall (their cousin) is in one picture from our trip on Saturday to the zoo. He did a great job helping us get the kids loaded into their strollers when we arrived at the zoo. He was also really good at encouraging them to see animals, etc.

Aunt Marsha, Uncle Stevie and Daddy are in a picture from Pelancho's when we went out to celebrate Daddy's birthday. We had a great time with them and the food was really good, as usual.

My cousin, Doug, and his twin boys (who are 9), Alex and Evan, were here from Denver, CO last weekend. The boys played with the kids in the play zone and were even subjected to a Wiggles dance video and an Elmo DVD...and survived. They had fun playing with a neighbor out front and then got in a visit to the Smokies, Zuma Fun Center and their hotel pool. I included some pictures with Aunt Edna, Nana, Doug, Evan, Alex, Uncle Ray, Barbara, Sharon and maybe Troy or myself. We were trying to get in a few pictures before everyone headed out of town and the kids were at home with Uncle Stevie.

I've been posting video lately and realized that I haven't managed to get any pictures on here and thought it was time to catch up. Troy and I are spending a couple of days at a friend's lake house while Nanny Barbara stays with the kids. Needless to say, we are very relieved to know that the kids are happy and doing well while we are taking a break.

One more note relates to the pictures of Emma and Kendall in their dinnertime bibs and highchairs. Not great facial expressions, necessarily, but we wanted to show the first attempt at some sort of pig tails - or spout - with their hair on top. These didn't last long as they were pulling at them shortly after Daddy got them "installed". :) But TOO CUTE. I hope we can get to the pig tails soon enough.

By the way, here are the latest "stats" on the kids:

Kendall 22.8 lbs and 31.4 inches
Emma 20.0 lbs and 31.5 inches (this is not correct since she isn't taller than the other two, but was very squirmy when they were trying to get her height)
Clark 22.6 lbs and 32.2 inches

Obviously, Ems remains our little peanut, but the dr is very happy with their growth and development and they are happy, healthy babies - OK, toddlers. :)

Happy July!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

You Know You Have Multiples When ...(Taken from the Triplet Connection forums.)

You know you have Multiples when……


Your stroller has it’s own zip code.

Dinnertime is officially declared an Olympic Event

You can remember the answer to “did you take fertility drugs”, but not your own name.

You ask the clerk at Sam’s club if they sell Duct Tape in bulk.

You consider going to the hospital for any procedure a vacation.

You are the only parents who can utter, “Stop playing with that, it’s not YOUR penis” with a perfectly straight face.

You arrive at your doctor’s appointments early just to read the magazines in peace.

Root canals are a great chance to catch up on your sleep.

You are afraid that if there is ever a tornado they will find you in the basement killed by a falling wall of diapers.

You laugh at singleton moms that are struggling to get their stroller out of the car.

You wonder how come singleton moms need a diaper bag the size of a suitcase, while you travel with enough for your babies in a bag half the size.

You can unload two, or three babies (or more) from car seats and put them in your stroller WHILE you are laughing at the singleton mom getting her stroller out of her car.

Your husband has seriously tried to motorize your stroller.

You can hold both infant car seats at once and still have a spare hand to hold your 2 year old’s hand as you go to your car.

There is no room in your refrigerator for food, all available space is occupied by pre-prepared bottles of formula.

You can pump (breast milk), feed the babies, and read a book at the same time.

Your tummy tuck was a two week vacation and you love every minute of it.

You look at a closet full of diapers and think “I’m running low”

A regular sized pack of diapers lasts only 3 days.

Every morning you mentally prepare yourself for the worst before your enter “that” bedroom, (naked toddlers, wet bed sheets, diapers on the floor and three little voice saying “poop, poop”)

Your biggest dilemma is how to keep those dang diapers on.

You are obsessed with diapers.

You can throw French-fries to the rear set of seats without looking and none end up on the floor.

You can change diapers standing up, while in line, at the Children’s Museum.

You feel like a sheepherder instead of a parent

You have people asking if you run a daycare because that’s what your yard looks like.

You can throw a balled taped diaper across the room and hit the bucket every time.

You can carry 3 plates of food and 3 cups (or 4) to the table without spilling anything and you’ve never been a waitress.

A trip to Walmart for diapers is a vacation even at 1:am.

Your stroller costs more than your first car.

You can hold at least three conversations at the same time.

You no longer have a proper name you are either “The lady with Triplets (Quads, Quints) or Moooooooooommmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyy

You consider the commute to work Mommy time

You find yourself singing songs from the Wiggles while at Walmart

You can quote Monster’s Inc. verbatim.

You can’t figure out how the back of your suit got slimed.

You automatically divide or multiply everything by 2, 3 (4, 5)

You have diapers in your purse, in the glove compartment, your desk drawer and in every room of the house – just in case.

You hope that the FDA counts ketchup as a vegetable.

You stop and tell a co-worker that you are “going to the potty”

Pooh Band-aids showing through nylons is considered trendy.

Every square inch of seating in your vehicle is taken by car seats.

And airborne French Fries take up every square inch of the floor space. Who said food fights in your vehicle aren’t allowed?

You know you are a MOM when you can sweep, talk on the phone, AND read to your children all at the same time.

Your monthly grocery budget is greater than the annual budget for the State of Rhode Island.

Four hours of sleep is “fully rested” and falling asleep over the kitchen sink is a “fulfilling nap”

The first thing you ask upon arriving home is for the poop and pee report.

You never miss the diaper can from any difference.

Every single electronic device’s buttons in your home are covered by duct tape (And you were wondering when you read earlier why someone would buy duct tape in bulk….. )

Your kitchen chairs have taken permanent residence on TOP of your table.

Your dryer becomes a better climbing and hiding toy than the $250 wave climber you just bought at Walmart.

Your blow up ball pit and swimming pool sit helplessly deflated, covered with bite marks.

2 minute tasks take 30 minutes because you have to keep returning to the play room to break up fights, peel the kids from the wall, change a diaper you can actually smell from the next room, break p more fights, remove a child from the top of the couch, perform surgery on the VCR because there is an UFO inside of it, fill sippy cups back up with water because whatever was in them disappeared mysteriously (only later when you sit down on the couch you will find where it went) remind them not to jump on each other, break up a few more fights and change more poopy diapers.

You not only are familiar with what a 300 count box of Kleenex looks like when they are all removed from the box one at a time, but you know for a fact you can’t put them back because you’ve tried.

You curse stores for only having two of something in a package, or for only having two of something on their shelf.

You buy Baby Motrin, Cough Syrup, etc, 3 at a time, and the clerk looks at you funny, while the whole time you are wishing they sold it in gallon containers.

You pull 3 tickets for Car seats at Toys R Us to take to the register, and when you get there the clerk says, “Ma’am, I think you picked up too many of these or they must have been stuck together”

You’ve fallen asleep in any of these places: The shower, washing dishes, sitting on the floor reading them a book, with your fork on the way to your mouth..

You agonize over what it will be like when they get to school and you have three teachers to visit on parent night, three different sets of homework, and your babies aren’t even out of the Nicu Yet.

Instead of a wallet full of photos you carry around a CD because it holds 700 megabytes of them.

700 megabytes is 1 nights worth of photos.

Everyone in the neighborhood knows who you are, even though you’ve never met them before.

The grocery store clerk has commented on the 6-9 gallons of milk you buy each week, telling you it would be cheaper to buy a cow.

You’ve ever truly considered strangling someone who said, “you’ve got your hands full” or “I’d shoot myself”.

You’ve ever been so sleepy that you can fall asleep with the baby lying on your chest and fail to wake up despite the fact that the baby is screaming directly into your left ear.

You are both shocked by the rudeness, and amazed by the kindness of strangers in the same 60 seconds upon entering Walmart.

Walmart is probably your favorite store, since its open till Midnight, diapers and formula are cheaper there, and they have triplet carts. Oh, and you consider going to Walmart at 11pm “going out”

If you’ve ever charted poops pees and food intake.

You consider a sale on diapers better than sex.

You know at one time you did have a spouse, but now you can’t remember

You have to wash the dinner dishes by hand because the dishwasher is full of bottles.

The singleton mom in front of you at Walmart buying one can of formula and one bag of diapers complains about the price and you have to restrain yourself from hitting a complete stranger.

The clerks at the grocery store have to regularly restrain you from pummeling any singleton mom that takes the last multi seat-shopping cart.

You know what its means to “live better through chemical intervention”

You are both revered and hated by the staff at your pediatrician’s office.

You don’t see anything unusual with the fact that you know not one, but several, quad moms.

You no longer have to wonder what a “poop painting” would look like.

A complete stranger walks up to you in the mall and says “my niece has triplets, her name is _________ do you know her?” and you can answer “yes I do”

The awareness of silence strikes terror into your soul.

You know the black market value of a Runabout stroller.

You consider cereal dumped on the middle of the floor, not to be bad parenting, but rather a unique picnic breakfast!

All kids are aware that any sippy cup left unattended is fair game.


Whining is heard not just in stereo, but in surround sound!

You go to an amusement park with your triplet stroller only to realize YOU’VE become the source of amusement, or you go to the Zoo and find the other visitors watching your kids more than the animals!

Your husband affectionately calls you “Tiger” because of the stretch marks.

Your peri says you look like a beached whale at 24 weeks.

You know what the word Peri stands for.

You use the word singleton.

You need a hitch for your stroller

You refer to your babies as A B and C

$15.00 baby outfits seem too expensive.

You buy a single weeks worth of formula, and the clerk asks you if you are stocking up.

You laugh at singleton moms for sterilizing pacifiers. You can’t stop yours from sucking on each others fingers, nose, ears, toes etc, so you just shake your head because you know those germs are building up their immune system.

You pick up a dropped paci, and just blow the dust off rather than rinsing it because after all, 5 minutes ago they shared it with the dog, and you didn’t get to it in time before they put it back in their mouths. What’s a little dust?

You intentionally feed all 3 kids from the same spoon and bowel even though one is sick, because you can’t bear the thought of 3 consecutive 2 week cold sessions, you’d rather have them sick at the same time.

You enroll them in or join every activity and playgroup you can, you visit every playground in a 10 mile radius, sometimes more than 1 a day, just so you can be out of the house from dawn to dusk so you have less to clean up.

When discussing child proofing and singleton moms say “you just have to tell them no, you can’t child proof everything” and you laugh and say “Wanna Bet?”

You don’t mind taking a shower, with the door open, and with an audience. You are just glad to be able to get a shower.

After 20 minutes in the car you realize you are not only listening to the kids tape, but you are singing along with it, and there are no kids in the car.

The $250 travel system stroller that singleton moms complain about being too big, look like toy strollers to you.

You do things with your feet that you thought you never could do (or should)

You’re not sure if what you squeezed on your toothbrush was toothpaste or diaper ointment, but you’re too tired to care, and too tired to check, so you keep brushing anyway.

You say to your husband “if you wake up these babies I’ll kill you” and you mean it.

You say to your mother “if you wake up these babies I’ll kill you” and you mean it.

You say to your dog “if you wake up these babies I’ll kill you” and you mean it.

It doesn’t matter, you ARE buying them out of ProSoBee, and the other moms can just get over it.

All of a sudden everyone you know, knows someone with Twins.

You go to the grocery store at 1:30 AM to buy baby food because its on sale, and because you are buying 400-600 jars, and it takes time to pick them out, and longer to get through the checkout with them.

You have to spend an entire evening at high school conferences because you have to see 24 teachers.

You sit at the drivers license testing station actually hoping they all three pass so you don’t have to console someone all the way home, while their brothers discuss who gets the car when you arrive home.

Crib Tents? You can’t afford NOT to buy them.

You consider leashes a viable safety option

Velcro is your new best friend.

You burst into laughter at the site of a diaper Genie… AS IF….!!

You celebrate the birthdays of the people who invented the spill proof sippy cup and the auto repeat replay function on DVD players.

You bought a dog to cut down on post meal cleanup time.

On the way to rescue a paper towel roll on the verge of destruction you suddenly realize that it might buy you 5 minutes to check your e-mail.

The next day, the kids wake up too early, you open their door long enough to throw in a couple of rolls of paper towels and you go back to bed.

Duct tape practically pays for itself.

You discover Nirvana when you finally convert to that all one color/all one size/all one style of socks, system.

You know what a crib tent is!

You no longer have a coffee table, end tables, or lamps in your living room, and everything else is 4 feet off the floor.

Your home has become a complex maze of gates, locks and barricades.

Your kids have never actually walked through the zoo or store, because getting out of the stroller is NOT an option.


You are not horrified at the idea of “waking a sleeping baby” to eat. After all, it is time to EAT so sayeth the master schedule!

You seriously wish someone would sell Orajel in a toothpaste-sized tube. Is this little tiny tube supposed to be a joke? And that’s with the one day supply of infant Tylenol… don’t they know I need a 10oz bottle?

You make a grilled cheese sandwich, put it on a little green plastic plate , and cut it into little tiny pieces. Then you realize the kids are napping and the sandwich is for you.

You delivered 16 lbs of baby, and didn’t set any records.

Your nickname for a period of time was Bessie.

You spend more time pumping than sleeping

You gave your pump a name

You know that bras come in 36I, and you also know where to buy them.

You don’t think the Suburban is a large vehicle.

When hearing of a new pregnancy, you first question is “just one?”

You call one baby a singleton (before your HOM arrived, it was just “a baby”)

Taking a group shower with a gang of toddlers is the only way you’re getting one.

You actually enjoy Bob and Dora

The lady at the drive through at McDonalds knows your name.

If the choice is sex or sleep, the answer is ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

All your friends have multiples.

You send 7 invitations to a birthday party, and you have 15 kids show up, and you were expecting more.

You don’t want to potty train because the though of trying to take all 3 to a public bathroom yourself sends shivers up and down your spine.

You make formula by the gallon and it lasts only 24 hours.

You haven’t been to your parent’s house in a year, and they only live three blocks away.

You realize you can sweep up small milk spills with your broom and dustpan.

Your pediatrician’s office recognizes your voice.

And you will know you have a friend who is also a M.O.M mother when:
She gets as excited as you by the phrase “Buy one get one free”.

You don’t find it strange that she has driven to five or six doctor’s appointments this week.

You can remember her children’s birth weights, and gestation at birth, but you can’t remember her phone number.

You know you will have someone to grumble with you about the establishments that require a one child/one parent policy

You’re not embarrassed by the fact that she has seen the inside of your house, van, diaper bag, etc.

You refer to her as “your support group”

Outsiders think you have your own private M.O.M. language of terms and jokes, and they are right!

It doesn’t matter if the two of you had nothing in common before your kids arrived because you have EVERYTHING in common now!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Happy Birthday Grandpa! And these kids keep Mommy laughing!

OK, so I have more video to share. First of all, I should warn you (or those of you who don't know how loud my laugh can be)...I have been known for my laugh. I sometimes laugh uncontrollably and at inappropriate times. I'm the one laughing at movies (Shrek) until people turn to me with THAT look and my hubby stuffs napkins in my mouth. When I get started, sometimes there is no stopping me. And it can get loud. There you have it. I provide you with this warning because you will hear me on at least one of these videos and I don't want you to be scared.
Moving right along, tonight we found that Emma has an incredible ability to mimick Daddy's Hulk-like growl. It was too funny and it caught us off guard, but we got it on film. There is also video from their visit to Nanny Barb's house today where they got to play on her new and improved deck.







I plan to post more video (and maybe pictures) from our visit with Ohio relatives last week in the next day or two. In the meantime, have a great day!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

EEEE---EYEYEYEYEYE---EEEEEE---EYEYEYEYE---OOOOOO

One more post for today. I know. Some of you aren't going to know what to do if you can't bug me about posting pics on the blog. Kendall started singing along with Daddy (and a video) today, so we kept practicing her song. Thought I'd share some of the video. The other video was taken when we heard them giggling and running back and forth in their play room. We realized that they were sort of playing tag or just running laps or something, so I tried to get a little video of their time. Poor Clark was losing his shorts at the time (skinny little thing), so forgive his droopy drawers. Make sure you check out the previous post on our blog from earlier today.

Happy Fourth of July!!! And a special thanks to those serving in the military!

We took the kids and Nana out to Kingston today for their 4th of July event on the water. Troy's Kingston location sets up to sell pizza and drinks and we wanted to check it out and bring them some supplies. You might notice Mr. Slice in the corner of a picture. Emma seemed to really enjoy seeing Mr. Slice. The kids were quite a sight in their Choo Choo wagon decked out with umbrellas to keep them out of the sun. We didn't try to decorate the Choo Choo this year (as it would probably get pulled off and eaten) but that's the plan for next year. They were very cute in their festive red-white-and-blue outfits though!