Friends & SEWMOT

Hey there! Last weekend, Ryan had some college buddies and their families stay at our house. It was great! The guys went to the PGA championship on Friday and had fun chasing all the golfers around. The girls hung back..and went to the pool....and laid low with the kiddos... Then Saturday the guys golfed...and then we all went down by the lake. It was great to spend some time with them!

So Addy and Boston totally hit it off. We would frequently find them playing "house" together in the other room. Boston apparently said he was going to marry Addy. :) They miss each other...sooo cute!! :)
Derek, Ryan, Evan...(and baby Claire) :)
Then today is a GORGEOUS day out...so I met my friend Carolyn and her triplets down by the lakefront for some coffee, a walk along the beach with all of our kiddos...and then lunch by the beach. Such a perfect day...and our girls were troopers too! It only got a little interesting when Carolyn left...pushing my 100+ pound honking stroller through the sand was my workout for the WEEK...and then trying to find a potty for the girls...only to realize that my big ol' stroller wasn't going to fit INTO the bathroom...so then we had to find a lovely porta potty so that I could watch one girl pee while I kept the door open to stay by the other 2 in the stroller. An old guy was watching me this whole time and was like "Don't take them there!" But what could I do? I was sooo sweaty by the time we got to the car...but it was SO worth it. I love our adventures and getting out of the house with a friend. :) By the way, our Milwaukee triplet group (SEWMOT - which stands for SouthEasternWisconsinMothersOfTriplets and more) is pretty neat. I don't think I've ever really talked about it on here but it's just an online group where we all post struggles, questions, advice, things for sale, :) etc. It's an awesome support group and such a great way to meet people in the same boat. They also have a triplet rummage twice a year which is awesome too! And monthly get together's. I went to those a lot more when I was pregnant...but now life is just a lot more busy! :) I've met some really neat friends through it though....so I'm so thankful for that! Even this past week, we randomly moved 2 of our cribs downstairs to make room for our college friends to stay here...and then someone in the triplet group needed a crib ..so we sold one to them...and then we ended up having them all over for dinner on Thursday and they are great too! One of their babies was ONE POUND! That is just UNBELIEVABLE to me. And I thought MY 3 pounders were small! Again, God is INCREDIBLE! They are all healthy now too. Simply amazing.

Hailey, Taylor, Emily, Brooke, Addison, Sydney

Northern Bay 2010

One of my friends recently told me that a vacation with kiddos really isn't a VAcation - it's "RELOcation" and I think I definitely agree with that statement! :) We just got back from our annual trip to Northern Bay Resort in Wisconsin with Ryan's side of the family and our good friend Heidi's side of the family. It is always a blast, we always make memories, and we always have lots of laughs - so for that - we're SO GRATEFUL! Thank you SOOO much Mom & Dad D!!!! We really love it there...and it's so fun watching the girls change year to year. This year, they were talking a mile a minute the whole way there. "Are we on 'acation Mom?" "Is this 'acation Dad?" Soooo excited. But, while some things have gotten easier with the girls and more fun, some have definitely gotten more challenging!

Diapers - everyone thinks things will be great to have no more diapers. Buttt....diapers were so easy! You could change them anywhere, you never had to worry about whether or not who has gone and try to 'force'/'bribe' them to go before going anywhere, etc. No messes. It is nice that the girls are potty trained now just because it's a milestone to cross, BUT....not so sure I'd say it's easier! Just when you sit down at the pool or get in the water, someone has to go...so out you go, dry off again, etc...and then you know, this happens 3 times over and over and over! :) So..that was more challenging this year... Also, sleeping! We put the girls in this HUMUNGOUS master bedroom closet because 3 pack n plays can fit in there and then it's nice and dark. However, this year, they are outgrowing their pack n plays and they can climb out with ease. Plus, they are getting closer to not needing/wanting naps....so going to bed was always a little chore. And, I think they're beginning to have bad dreams or something...because one night, Addy was up, with us...from 3 - 5 a.m. This is like back to the newborn days! Who knows.

Also, they run fast now!!! Keeping up with 3 toddlers is busy busy busy. We are so mentally and physically tired lately that I swear this is a much harder stage than when they were newborns and we weren't sleeping. At least it wasn't mentally tiring then! :) Don't get me wrong - I am absolutely LOVING my girls...and enjoying all their chatting and personalities...but they are just BUSY! So busy, that we started off the vacation with a huge scare. Addy fell in the hot tub...so all eyes went to her...and Ry quick got her out..and she was fine. But while she was in, EMILY managed to fall in too!!!!! And this was right as we were getting ready to head up for lunch and naps..so no one had their little floaties on. So..Em was probably under for like 2 or 3 seconds but it was enough to scare her AND me! I grabbed her out..and then she was breathing and coughing and sounding VERY weird...so we went upstairs to try to give her some food and she was like instantly SOOOO lethargic. It was so scary! So we called 911 and then Ryan and I drove her to the nearest ER. Thank goodness she was already acting a bit better by the time we got there...but STILL. It was so scary! They checked her lungs, did a chest x-ray...all in THREE hours time... and turns out, she was okay...and since she was only in for a couple seconds, the water didn't get in her lungs but it did get in her broncial tubes so she just had to be put on an antibiotic to decrease the chance of any infection. NOOOOTTT a good way to start out the vacation. I'm just SOOO thankful she was okay!!! I absolutely HATE that helpless, scary, "I'm such a bad parent" feeling! I thought she'd be scared of the water from here on out. But nope - she woke up from her nap and was ready for anything again so that is good. But for real, to anybody out there with kids, don't let them near hot tubs! So dangerous for little kids!!!

So we did have a great time...but we're just constantly reminded how much our lives have changed from those 'pre-triplet' days. If God can get us through those tough days in the NICU and first weeks at home with 3 babies...AND potty training...He can surely get us through every stage of life with these girls. Please continue to pray for us as we parent them.... We can't imagine life without them...and we can't REMEMBER life BEFORE them either! :)

Em getting a ride on the golf cart with Daddy..

Addy and Auntie Jody and Uncle Shane

Hailey and Grandpa

Em watching her dad do what he loves..
The lake!!! (EAH)
Grandma showing the girls how to "pee in the lake." :) They were a tad obvious. :)
Snuggling with Grandma
3 little fish...
Uncle Shane even knows how to paint toes!!!
Sad pic. Emily and I waiting in the ER. Which was by the way, the slowest ER in the world.

Zach and Ryan burying the kids.
Addy, Em, Braden, Tyler, Hailey
Emily going in to hug little Ty...
And now here's Hailey going in for the hug. They are fighting over boys already! :)

Our day at BAY BEACH!

Last Friday we had a GREAT day! Ryan and his dad and brother had a golfing trip planned for all day Friday and Saturday...so us girls decided to take a 2 hour trip up to Green Bay to go to Bay Beach Amusement Park. (It's this awesome amusement park for little kids!) The girls LOVED it!!!!! And we had fun too! Have I told you how awesome of a mother in law and sister in law I have? They WANTED to spend their DAY OFF with me and my 3 little munchkins at a little KIDS amusement park. Not many people would want to do that....on top of driving two hours to get there. I am so so blessed to have them and our GIRLS are so blessed to call them "Grandma" and "Auntie!!!" (and sometimes "Jode" ) :)

So, this was their first big ride ever. I was a little nervous to just leave them on this thing all by themselves. I wasn't sure if they'd cry for me or if it would freak them out or what....but they were SOOOO excited and the first time they went around, they were all smiles and gave out huge "Miss America" type waves - EVERY SINGLE time they went around. It was like they had never seen us before. We were cracking up. Are they really getting THIS BIG ALREADY???!!!!

Loving the Helicopters...

And ya gotta get Sno-Cones at an amusement park, right? This park is also awesome cuz each ride is only $.25! With no admission fee! And the sno-cones were only $1!!! Usually, they're like $3.50! Great place I tell ya!

Addy, Hailey, and Emily

Notice the color sno-cones they picked. :) I'd like to claim that when I 'assigned' them each a color as a baby so we could tell them apart, that I secretly KNEW what their favorite color would be. :) Before they were born, I had Hailey as green and Emily as pink. But when I saw them in the NICU, I was like "Hailey is so not a "green" and Emily is definitely not "pink." So I switched them. :) And now, they truly love "their" colors!!! Addy is still purple for everything. Hailey - pink as pink can be...and Em it totally green.

K - I apologize in advance for this next one Jody. :) We look lovely.... :) But it's not about how we look...more about how much fun we had, right? Right. :)
Hailey
Addy
Emily
The huge slide that was so fun! You sit on these potato sack things....this was another favorite ride.
Mom D. and Jody took a turn on the big people swings. :) They were scared out of their minds. :)

But looks like they had a good time! :)

Emily - race car ride

Cruisin' on the ladybugs.... (again - notice their color choices) So crazy to me. :)
The Merry Go Round - Addy, Em, Hailey

I wasn't sure how they'd do on this by themselves too but they went for it!! SO fun that they love this stuff!
The Ferris Wheel - Addy and Grandma, rocking the seat. :)
Going up...
Grandma and Addy
Emily and Auntie Jody
The "little kid" swings
Addy on the airplanes

and here they are at home with our good neighbor friends. The girls LOVE painting outside. I give them a paintbrush and some water. Then they color with chalk...and then "paint" it off with the water. They will do this for hours. It is a GREAT toy!