The Firebrand, The Philosopher & the Buddha

Long Overdue

I have been receiving much-deserved harassment from friends and family about how long it's been since I've updated this blog. It's not like there hasn't been stuff to talk about. Thanksgiving at the in-laws. Christmas at home, just the 5 of us. The day-after-Christmas Potty Party/Booty Camp, when we began potty training in earnest. The Potty Party/Booty Camp aftermath. Our first time getting out and playing in the snow. (Why didn't we do it last year? I don't know. We are mean. And too cheap to buy 3 sets of boots and snow pants.) A discourse on why legwarmers make the perfect potty training accessory. Many hilarious conversations with 3-year-olds. A special song Tim and I have been writing together titled "The Drama Queens" (sung to the tune of Abba's "The Dancing Queen") And dozens and dozens of pictures. I just haven't been making time to get it all down. Or to install the software for our new camera so I can get the pictures off the camera and onto the computer. I can't promise to do better, but I will try. In the meantime, I will leave you with two stories that will give you a little look into life in our house.

1. (Copied directly from an email I just wrote to my friend Liz, because I am nothing if not lazy.)
There is a "Lightning McQueen" (from the movie Cars) game at the Children's museum. Months ago, Tim incorrectly identified the character as "Speed McQueen" and as far as the girls are concerned, that is in fact his name. Sometimes if they are in a good mood they will concede that other people call him Lightning. But really his name is Speed. Anyway, they talked about that game so much I decided to rent the Cars movie and see if they liked it. We've watched it twice now. There is one scary part in it that Julia will tell you she doesn't like. About five times a day. There's a still from that part of the movie on the back of the DVD box so she will periodicaly pick it up, show it to you, and tell you that this is the part she doesn't like. Because it is scary. And she doesn't like that part. And last time we skipped over it. Because it's scary. And she doesn't like it.

But she can't have been too traumatized by the movie because now she is absolutely insisting we call her Speed. And talking about herself in the third person ("Speed is hungry! Speed needs to go potty!"). Yesterday I had the following exchange with her:

Me: Julia, I've told you twice now not to play on the stairs. Go sit in time out.
Julia: Actually, I'm Speed.
Me: Ok, then: SPEED - you are not supposed to play on the stairs. Go sit in time out.

Sometimes it is hard to keep a straight face.

2. Conversation among three 3-year-olds

Julia: I pooped in the potty!
Eve: I want to see!
Lily: Me too!
(Everyone gathers around the potty to admire.)
Eve: Wow Julia, that's a big poop!
Julia: Thanks, Eve.
Lily: It looks like a puppy!
Julia: You're right, Lily! Look, there's its mouth!

Arrrrgh!

Oh my goodness but I am exhausted. It's been a whirlwind week. Last Wednesday, on the terrific trio's birthday, the girls had their first dentist appointment. (I know, we are unspeakably cruel. I can only imagine the therapy bills.) I'm so mad I forgot to bring my camera, but they did great. I had my teeth cleaned the week before their appointment and they came with to watch, so they knew what to expect. I think that helped. Wednesday we also gave them their birthday presents from us, one of which was a little indoor trampoline. It's been a big hit:

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I suspected it would be, given the deep and abiding love they all had for the "Jumperoo" when they were babies:

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Thursday Grammy and Pa (previously known as Mr. Rick) arrived, which of course was very exciting. On Friday, Halloween, we took the girls trick or treating for the first time and they were really into it. They were all excited about getting candy, but I don't think they really know what candy is, since they haven't asked to eat any of it. Fine with me! We went to 4 or 5 houses on our street, which was plenty. They all dressed like pirates. It was pretty much my decision, but they do like playing pirates and are very entertained by the "pirate piggies" that show up periodically on Dora. I am fully expecting several years of princess torture ahead of us, so I decided to run with the pirate thing.

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The next day was their birthday party, and we stuck with the pirate theme for that too.

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Lily giving me a YO-HO-HO!

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Finally, to wrap it all up, Gram and Papa took them to build-a-bear on Sunday:

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When it came time to name their animals, they all came up with a name on their own, which is a first. All the other animals they have are named "bunny" or "puppy" or whatever the animal happens to be. Lily named her elephant Tooty, Julia named her bunny Polly, and Eve named her bear... Iddywoodie.  I have no idea...

Lots and lots of fun, but between all the excitement of the past several days and then staying up late for election results I am seriously behind on sleep. I think the girls are behind too, as they were absolutely rotten last night and today when I went home for lunch our nanny asked what the heck was wrong with them (much more diplomatically than that). Here's hoping for a little catch-up for all of us tonight!

Happy Birthday, Babies

You've come a long way.

 

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Catching up...

We've had a beautiful fall here so far, and are spending as much time outside enjoying the weather as we can, before winter arrives and we're trapped inside.

Cloud-gazing:

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Lily has become a real pro at riding a tricycle. Eve and Julia still need a lot of help.

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A couple weeks ago we went apple picking, and also picked up some pumpkins.

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There was a nice play area that included a huge pile of hay bales to climb.

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Finally, a favorite indoor activity - they love to help me cook. Here they are smashing up cereal for "breakfast cookies":

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They are becoming such interesting, fun little people. I have to admit it's been difficult lately too - they also can be rude, demanding, defiant, and just really, really annoying when we have days of constant whining, crying, and fighting. But then they'll invent some new imaginary game (most recent involves a dragon and a cave, and either a prince or princess coming to save them depending on whether mommy or daddy is available to play along) and remind me how fun they are. As they get older it's also getting easier to take them places. We actually eat out every once in a while now, and I think our stroller days are numbered. The last few times we've gone to the Children's Museum we left it at home, and I've even gone grocery shopping with them several times now without it. I can't believe how big they're getting.

The Return of the Flower Girls

Another month, another wedding! This time the trio got to be flower girls in their Aunt Megan's wedding. A couple pics with their cousins:

 

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At the reception:

 

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They did a LOT of dancing:

 

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One of the best parts was getting to see Liz again! Liz is a family friend who stayed with us all summer while completing an internship at the company Tim and I both work for. I really should do a whole post about Liz but I wouldn't want to embarass her. The girls were thrilled to see her again, as were we.

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We were really worried about how they were going to manage the wedding, because it started at 2 and usually they nap from 1 to 3. I don't know how we would have survived the first 3 years with triplets without sticking to a schedule, but the downside is that if we want or need to deviate from the schedule all hell breaks loose. We fed them an early lunch and managed to get them down for a nap at noon. They got to sleep for an hour before we had to wake them up to get ready to go, which turned out to be enough to get them through the rest of the day. Phew!!

And a tip for anyone who has to keep a little kid quiet at a wedding: A little box of raisins (like the kind you stick in a lunchbox) will keep a small child busy for a good 15-20 minutes. They have to do a little work to dig the raisins out of the box, they take a while to eat, and they don't make noise when chewed or dropped.

I think we are done with weddings for a while, though it's too bad - they're getting to be pros at this!

Eve, Julia & Lily's Excellent Adventure

 

Phew.

This summer has just flown by, with the last few weeks taken up with preparing for, enjoying, and recovering from our first big family vacation. We flew with the girls to the East Coast, where they were flower girls in Grammy and Mr. Rick's wedding. Then we spent a week in a big rental house by the beach with Grammy, Mr. Rick (now known as "Pa"), Uncle Brendhan and Aunt Wendy, and Rick's daughter Kristen and her 2 kids, Allison and Kevin.

I was VERY anxious about the flight. We spent lots of time researching, planning, and playing "airport" at home so they wouldn't freak out when they had to take their shoes off and watch their beloved Shrek babies go through the X-Ray machines. We got them their own Dora backpacks and filled them with never-before-seen books and activities to keep them busy on the plane. It was quite a job getting everyone through security, and I really don't know how we would have done it if Aunt Wendy and Uncle Brendhan hadn't flown to our house (quite a bit out of their way) a day before the trip just so they could travel with us and help with the girls. Here they are waiting to take off:

 

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It was a direct flight (we paid more and got up earlier to get this flight - totally worth it), everything was on time, and the plane was half empty. Really I don't know how it could have gone better.

We arrived at our destination Friday morning, and the wedding was Saturday. I was standing up front as one of the attendants, so Tim had quite a job keeping the girls busy during the ceremony. Unfortunately he didn't really get to enjoy it, but he did a great job keeping the girls quiet so everyone else could. Here they are after the ceremony:

 

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Trying to get a shot of the whole wedding party. Julia was crying and Eve didn't want to stand still, so I wound up holding both of them. They are getting way too big for this!

 

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The reception site was gorgeous, and the weather was perfect. The girls especially enjoyed this courtyard, which had several dog statues. They kept running around petting all of them:

 

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Another attempt at a group shot:

 

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The happy couple:

 

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Allison and Lily were quite taken with each other:

 

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Unfortunately we had to leave the reception early - they still take a nap every day, usually about 2 hours, from 1 to 3. They made it until about 3 before we decided we really needed to leave. Then it was off to the "big house." They had some fun things to play with there, including some interesting headgear.

 

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The girls went to the beach for the first time - I didn't bring my camera, but I'll get video up one of these days. We had lots of fun adventures, including a trip to Mystic Aquarium and our first train ride.

A rare family shot:

 

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Sitting on the train:

 

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And finally a couple of our favorite "big house" activities - swinging in the hammock:

 

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And shucking corn, which they thought was just crazy fun for some reason:

 

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It was exhausting, but lots of fun, and Tim and I came out of it feeling like we might be able to do this again. Maybe.

Now, on to our next big adventure... Potty training.

 

 

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Wish us luck.

Overheard on the baby monitor

Eve: The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the GIANT MEATBALL!!!

Eve and Julia: (giggles)

Julia: Big frog!

E: The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the BIG FROG!

E&J: (more laughter)

J: Little frog!

E: The itsy bitsy spider climed up the LITTLE FROG!

E&J: (in hysterics now)

 

I couldn't make this stuff up.

Fun at the farm

We have a living history museum near us that's set up like a mid-1800s farm and town. The staff dresses in period costumes and pretends not to understand what you mean if you talk about airplanes or tractors or anything else that didn't exist in that time. It's really well done, but from what I remembered (I haven't been in a while) it seemed like something the girls probably wouldn't get into for a few more years. But a friend of mine (who has triplets the same age as the girls) told me her kids loved it, and invited me to meet her there with her kids. I'm so glad we went - we had a blast.

First stop was the animal encounter barn, where they keep a lot of baby animals. That place alone was worth the trip. They got to brush a baby lamb...

 

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Touch a chick...

 

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Check out some ducks...

 

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With our friends... (These cuties were born just a couple weeks after my girls. I first met their mom in the hospital.)

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Try out a saddle...

 

 

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And even milk a goat...

 

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Then we checked out the schoolhouse:

 

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Next came our favorite part - chasing chickens! I swear they would have done this all day.

 

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Lily has one cornered!

 

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Let's see what's in this barn...

 

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Exactly six brooms - perfect!

 

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The pigs were pretty interesting too.

 

 

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After all that excitement, we decided to take a little rest.

 

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Just kidding!

 

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Finally we sat down for some lunch:

 

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Some women came over to sit down next to us, got a good look at our table, and walked away. I can't imagine why - who wouldn't want to eat lunch with six 2-year olds?

After lunch we played at the indoor play area for a little while, then went home for a nap. It was a great day, and I was so glad my friend invited us. She is much braver about going places alone with her kids than I am. It's something I struggle with - I want to do normal, fun kid things with them, but in public places it's hard to keep track of everyone and keep everyone safe. They are old enough that they wouldn't have any fun just sitting in the stroller, but young enough that they can't be trusted to stick with you. There are places I would never take them without help, like the Children's Museum and the zoo. But this was very manageable. We'll definitely go back. Those chickens look like they need some more exercise.

"Conversation" with three 2 1/2-year-olds

The girls are all big talkers, which is great. Really, I'm glad they have good verbal skills. But they also like to narrate everything that's going on around them. At the same time. Which is also fine, except that you can't just nod and smile and pretend you're paying attention while you're actually contemplating just how early is too early in the day to start drinking margaritas (they have juice in them! not so different from a mimosa, really...) because they insist that every one of their brilliant, earth-shattering observations be specifically acknowledged.

A typical morning exchange...

Eve: You're wearing a white shirt!

Me: Yes, it's a white shirt.

Eve: I have a blue shirt!

Julia: I have Cheerios for breakfast!

Me: Yes, Julia - those are Cheerios.

Eve: Mommy. MOMMY! I have a blue shirt!

Lily: Daddy make coffee!

Me: Right Eve - your shirt is blue.

Julia: My Cheerios have milk.

Me: I see the milk, Julia.

Lily: MOMMY! Daddy make coffee!

Eve: Lily has a green shirt!

Me: Yes, Lily, Daddy is making coffee.

Julia: My spoon is blue!

Eve: MOMMY! Lily has a green shirt!

Lily: Coffee hot!

Julia: BLUE SPOON, mommy. MOMMY!

Lily: HOT! HOT!

Eve: MOMMY! LILY HAS A GREEN SHIRT!!!

Me: Is that coffee ready yet?

 

Spring

I am just going to ignore the fact that I haven't posted for over a month... Nothing to see here...

Spring has been slow to arrive where we live, and we have had a frustratingly high number of cold, rainy days. But we've had enough nice days here and there to start getting outside on a semi-regular basis, which has greatly improved the sanity level in our household. At the beginning of last spring the girls were still novice walkers, and roaming around on the grass took some getting used to. By the end of fall, they were having a great time running around and playing in the yard, we'd ventured out to the neighborhood playground a few times, and they only needed a little help climbing and sliding on the swingset in our backyard.

What a difference a (loooong, cold, dark) winter makes. This year they all can handle the ladders and slides both at our house and at the playground, which makes it possible for just one of us to take all three there. We've also added a couple toys to our backyard arsenal. Here's Lily playing t-ball:

 

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 Eve has desperately begged for a lawnmover every time she's seen one this spring. Fortunately she's satisfied with a plastic version (it helps that it blows bubbles):

 

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Julia is content to pick leaves off our sage plant and throw them in the air:

 

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 Apparently this is great fun.

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But our best-yet outside adventure was Sunday, when we took the girls for pony rides at a nearby state park. We told them we were going someplace fun, but it was a surprise, and they'd see when we got there. This was so we didn't have to hear "We're going to see horsies! I wanna ride horsie! Where are horsies?" 8,000 times in the car on the way there. Instead we heard "It's a surprise! We see when we get there! I'm being very patient!" 8,000 times.

We were fully prepared for someone to be too scared to get on, but they were all really excited to hop on for a ride. They had a blast. Eve just kept saying "Whee! Whee! Whee!" over and over. Here they are - don't they look like big girls?

 

 

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They all had complete and total meltdowns when we took them off the horses, so we did another ride. (Giving in to tantrums - excellent parenting skills there.) After the second round we made it clear we were done, the horsies have to rest, etc. Everyone was fine except Lily, who was totally inconsolable for at least 10 minutes. She kept flinging herself on my lap and wailing melodramatically. Fortunately she was distracted by the prospect of a walk through the woods, which was also a big hit.

 

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Quite a full day. They slept really well that night. We might have to do this every weekend.