Merry Early Christmas!

Hi!  Well last weekend was a great one!  We celebrated early as we'll be celebrating with my family later!  So Friday night we celebrated with just our family and it was so great!  We had a nice dinner and then gave the girls presents.  They were ALL about it all this year.  It was so much fun.  We took each of them shopping and had them choose something to buy their sisters too this year so that was great.  They were very particular about which sister got what.  Emily REALLY wanted this Strawberry shortcake dress when we were shopping and I said she had to shop for her sisters....so I said how bout we give it to one of them (and then I'm sure they'd share it with her :) )  ....well no...then she didn't want to do that.  So she'd rather not have it in our house at all than give it to one of her sisters.  So funny.  It's just so neat watching the girls learn about giving and receiving and sharing and all the joys of the season.  I love it!  

We gave the girls Leapsters this year (they are like little video game type things except they are educational!) :)  So far, they love them!  Hopefully they'll be GREAT on the plane ride! :) 

 The only problem with gifts and everything with triplets of the same sex...is that they seriously want everything that their sister wants.  They are the same sex at the same stage in life with seriously a lot of the same interests!  So no matter what toy they get or whatever, they always want to play the same "type" of toys at the same time.  So if we don't have 3 of them...it is a cause for lots of tears and "refereeing" and Ry and I going nuts trying to have someone have it for 2 minutes, now switch....2 minutes again, switch...ahh!!  So people say we shouldn't get them 3 of everything....and believe me we try not to....but seriously if you don't get them 3 of something similar, WE go crazy more than they do!!  People tell us that then they won't learn how to share....but I feel like they've been BORN sharing.  They've shared the womb, they've shared us as parents since day one, they share their room, ALL their toys, their clothes, their friends, you name it!  It's just tough with the whole triplet Christmas thing and I just wish I could explain what it's like better.  That being said, they LOVE it when they get to open a present that is JUST for them.  They know they'll have to share it eventually...but the fact that they can call it their own is a big thing.  Here they are in 3 different dress up outfits from Great Grandpa Junior.  Thanks! :)   Strawberry Shortcake (Em), Ariel (Hailey), and Rapunzel (Addy)

 Then Saturday we went to Grandpa and Grandma Dooyema's for "Christmas" over there!  We had appetizers first and the girls got to be fancy and drink sparkling grape juice from grown up glasses.  :)

 They are always interested in whatever baby Erin is doing.  She's getting so big!

 Here is an attempt at a grandparent/grandchildren shot....this is the best one!  Addison, Hailey, Erin, and Em :)

 Then Sunday night the girls had their Christmas program at church.  They did great and sang all the songs!  So cute!!!!  (EHA)

 Em giving their friend Isabelle a look.  Not sure if she sang off key or what. :)

 Em had fun playing with her friend Lydia's hair during the program too. :)

 And here Addy is in her Dr. dress up clothes from Grandpa and Grandma.  She says she wants to be a Dr. for little babies when she grows up!  I can see it!

 And Em is a beautiful bride!  This pic makes me tear up a little!  My babies are SO BIG!!!!

 And Hailey Grace as a fireman....love this girl. :)

 And then Monday they had their school Christmas program and they also did a great job!  They get very focused and pretty serious up front.  They do the motions and make sure to sing.  It's kinda fun cuz I hear them singing some of these songs at home and they correct each other if someone sang the wrong word or something.  Here they are following their stars all around the school looking for the BIGGEST and BRIGHTEST star....which they ended up finding by us again and a real baby "Jesus" was under it!!!  So then the kids sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.  So sweet.

 Here's Hailey and Erin today!  It is Auntie Jody's first day back at work as she's a nurse so we got to watch Erin all day!  We are LOVING having her here!  She is such a sweetie!!!

 And Hailey today after she gave herself a makeover.  :)

Aaron Rodgers and our girls!!!!

Go Pack Go!! :) 
So, last week, our family friend Laurie insisted that we try to get the girls on TV to ask Aaron Rodgers some questions.  (Every Tuesday people submit video questions to Aaron and he picks his faves and answers them on TV).  So she came over and we asked the girls to just think of a question that they'd like Aaron to answer.  Turns out, they got on!!!!!  So they were on the news last night at 10:00 and then again this morning!  Can't believe they got on.  They were so excited to see him answering their questions.  Addison said "That's pretty cool Mom." And she's SURE the Packers are going to win the superbowl now.   And Hailey was a bit distraught.  She said "I'm pretty sure his other favorite color is pink.  I bet he left his pink shoes in his closet."  And the other day the girls were chatting over lunch and I heard Emily say "I really hope Aaron answers my question."  They are quite the fans.  :)  I really do feel like they are famous now or something. :)  So funny.  We started getting text messages like crazy.  Ryan's coworker texted "I just saw the TRI-FECTA on TV!"  Then we went out for lunch today and I thought everyone was going to recognize them or something.  So funny.  So glad he's an amazing quarterback and also a role model who shares a faith in Christ too.  Gotta love him!!!  GO PACK!  Here's the video! Just click the link :) 


http://bcove.me/ihcj2x54

Triplet boys!

Hi!!!  Well I'm super late on posting this now but my friend Heather HAD HER TRIPLET BOYS!!!  They are like a week old now but I am so unbelievably happy for her, proud of her and STILL in shock that she just had triplets too.  I feel like we will talk about it our entire lives...like we will never really believe it that I had triplet girls and she had triplet boys.  I love it. :)  She did an AMAZING job carrying them to 34 weeks!  Andrew was 4.10, Derek 5.12 (!!!), and Micah 4.15.  That is awesome. :) This week has been hard not being able to be there with her!  I call her like every day just to hear the latest update on who drank how many cc's or who's off what machine or whatever.  It is all so familiar and so fun to have your best friend go through so much of what I already went through.  I told Ryan "this makes me want to have triplets again!"  And then he said "Take it back! Take it back!" :)  Oh dear. :) 

Anyway, I'm just so excited for Heather because I truly LOVE having triplets and I know she will too.  Yes it's definitely tough and there are definite "seasons" of difficulty...but I love how they always have a playmate...and how they understand each other so well...how they come home from school singing songs that I don't even know...I love how they get to have a sleepover every night....I love how we get to have family nights and play "Princess Yahtzee" together....I love how I get a break cuz they're all in school at the same time! :) I just love my girls and it's so fun watching them grow up.  Here they are giving us an electric guitar performance.  (These guitars play "I'm a Barbie Girl" all at 3 different paces...and then they sing "twinkle twinkle little star" OVER that sound.  We like these guitars in the basement. :) 

 Here's proud big cousin Hailey with baby Erin!!  They can't wait til they can play with her!

 I love how the girls go downstairs to play and then this is how I find them having "girl talk" and taking turns telling their dramatic stories.

 The girls with their "boyfriends"  - all big Packer fans. :) (Addy, Tyler, Braden, Hailey, Lucas, and Em)

 Getting ready for Christmas over here!!
And I should really let Grandma Kathy write this little excerpt but she told me the other day this story about when she was babysitting.  We have this Little People Nativity set...so they were playing with it and re-telling the Christmas story to the girls and Emily was supposed to be the innkeeper.  So she was instructed that when Joseph and Mary come and ask for a room she has to say no.  Well, when Joseph (Grandma) pleaded and begged for a room - Emily, just got so concerned and felt so bad for Joseph and Mary that she said "Yes!  You can have a room!"  But then Grandma and Grandpa had to say "no no no, that's not how the story goes.  You have to say no.  There's no room in the inn."  So then Joseph (Grandma) pleaded again for a room - a garage or even a closet to sleep in...and the innkeeper (Emily) would just look at her with big compassionate eyes and say "Yes!!" Grandma instructed her again to say no ....there was no room for Joseph and Mary in the inn so they need to have baby Jesus in the barn!  Emily got frustrated and didn't want to play anymore. She said "I don't like the way this story goes."  She so badly wanted baby Jesus to be born in a hotel.   :)
She's always been our little compassionate one. :)

4 Year Old Dr. Visits

What a morning.  I'm not sure who hates the Dr. check ups more - the girls or me.  It was nuts!  I would have thought by age 4 that they would be getting easier.  But nope - this time the girls all wanted to write their letters and interrupt the Dr. and I trying to talk every 2 seconds.  They were INSISTING I keep telling them letters to write instead of just color a nice picture so I barely heard anything the Dr. said.  And then, it was time for each of them to get 3 shots.  Yikes.  It is TERRIBLE when the other two have to watch their sister scream in pain.  That instantly starts them screaming in FEAR even before it's their turn. So then 3 girls are all screaming and kicking and I'm trying to hold one down with all my might (and the help of 2 nurses)...and then I couldn't comfort the one who was done and oh man...it was rough!  And for some reason Addy didn't even want the Dr. to examine her one bit so she hardly even got a check up!  I don't know what happened to her because right before that, she was all smiley and wanted to tell the Dr. that that's what she wants to be when she grows up ...a Dr. for babies.  So cute.  But today, TODAY she wanted nothing to do w/ Drs.  Oh man.  So we all came home in a bad mood and I think I could have cried too!  It was just a LOT of stuff to juggle - trying to make sure one doesn't bug the Dr. too much while she's trying to look at the other one and then meanwhile the OTHER one is sticking stickers to the ground or whatever and yea.  So far, I have LOVED age four and have said that I think we've really turned a corner as far as how challenging this triplet thing is.  But today was a hair-puller-outer morning.  Oh man - my poor girls.  :)  And did I mention that we were there for TWO hours in one little dr. room?  okay - enough about that. :)
ANYWAY  - now that I've been able to get that out - I really can't complain at ALL with how the girls are developing.  In fact, it is a true miracle as to how they are all doing.  The Dr. was shocked - like mouth open shocked that they are able to do as much as they can do.  I guess they are doing things that they make sure kids know before kindergarten and they are only in 3k!  I'm so amazed how their brains know so many things AND THEY STARTED OUT AT ONLY 3 POUNDS!  A.MA.ZING.  The fact that they know the whole alphabet and can write every letter...and write their whole names...and that Addy can ride w/ no training wheels and that they can all even pedal a bike...and the way they hold their pens...and that they can draw people with more than 5 body parts...I guess all of this is really good!  It's hard for me to know when I just compare the 3 of them....and they are all so similar in their development that it just seems normal to me! :)  So anyway, even though I could have cried out of frustration this morning, I also could have cried because I feel so blessed and so proud of my three girls.  They really are such a joy and the BEST I could have ever asked for.  PRAISE God from whom ALL blessings flow.
Here's their info:
Addy - 43.6 inches tall (she's off the charts in height), 42.5 lbs (90% for weight)
Emily  - 40. 4 inches tall, 36 lbs, (50 -75% for both)
Hailey - 40.5 inches tall, 36 lbs.  (50-75% for both) :)
And I should really be writing down or video taping SO much of what they say lately.  They are VERY into imaginary play and it is hilarious watching and listening to them talk.  They love having "girl talk" where they all sit around in their chairs and tell dramatic made-up stories to each other.  So funny. At night time, after we pray, they get into very deep talks about heaven and hell and God and you name it.  The questions stump me though!  Like Hailey was asking about hell and her first question was "So they don't have any potties in hell do they mom?  You have to just go on the floor right?"  Oh man...and then talking about God the Father, and Jesus, and how the Holy Spirit lives in their heart...I told them how they are all one God but yet all different.  And Addy said "So do they wear the same clothes?"  um....it is all so hard to explain but I LOVE their questions! :) I wish I could remember more of what they say....I just love how "lovey" they are at this stage.  They could go on and on all night telling me how much they love me. :)  I hope that never stops. :)
And every day in November they've been writing on a leaf something they are thankful for to hang on our thankful tree.  The things they write are just so random and so interesting.  I'll tell you a few...
leaves, their piggy banks, rags, cameras, paper and blankies, hairclips and lights, and the neighbor dog Vinnie.  :)  So even though these things are so random, they make me think too.  It's not every day that I realize I'm thankful for lights...or even rags to wipe their messy faces :)....and I've never really thought to be thankful for hairclips...but it's so true - imagine if we could NEVER tie our hair back.... :)    I really am thankful for SO MUCH....but most of all, I'm thankful for my little fam. :)

October Fun

Hi!  I can't believe it's almost been a month since I last posted!  October has FLOWN by and our lives have been FULL of fun stuff lately!  1st we had the girls bday weekend and my brother and sister in law flew in...then I went to South Dakota to visit Heather....my parents flew in to take care of the girlies since Ryan won a trip through work to go to CABO!!!...then they just left and we helped the girls' school make 3700 apple pies in one day....and Ryan's Uncles from California (and their families) were all just in town too!  So we've had lots of company, lots of travel, and in between that, all the normal stuff of school and work, fall yard work, and leading my high school small group girls!!  I've also been working on the youth group Fall Retreat stuff for next weekend.  It's my favorite weekend of the year with the high school kids.  This year's theme is on "Identity Theft" - who we are in Christ...what robs us of that...what masks we wear...etc.  I think it's going to be great!  

So anyway, we are so so so blessed with amazing grandparents - on both sides!  They are always willing to watch the girls and we are so thankful for that (and so glad they are young enough to be able to do it and do it well!)  Grandma Gwen and Grandpa Joel flew in a day before we left for Cabo so we could see them too (and give them loads of instructions!).  Then we left last Thursday for Cabo which was amazing!  8 other people from Ryan's work won the trip and so their spouses came too.  I think what made the trip was just the fact that all the people we went with were so much fun and we all got along great.  We relaxed a lot and laughed a lot and just totally enjoyed the amazing weather.  94 degrees every day! Here's the recap:

Addy, Emily, and Hailey with their BuildaBears - their first time to Build A Bear with Grandpa and Grandma (their bday present!) They LOVED it! 

Then here the girls are having "Backwards Day" with Grandpa and Grandma.  They wore their clothes backwards one day, at breakfast for dinner with dessert first!  Here they are having their gummy worm and pudding dessert first.  They had so much fun!!!

 Here's our resort!

 Ahh.....

 This is Lover's Beach - the only beach in the world that has two different oceans on either side - the Sea of Cortez here where you can swim and then through the rocks, the Pacific where there are sharks. :)

 The company took us on a Catamaran boat one day - SO FUN!!!!!

 Sea Lions!

 Cliff Jumpin!

 Eating at "The Office" right on the beach.  It was a hilarious night! :)

 Check out Ryan's 6'7" coworker  with his 5' hat....the hat was ridiculous! :)

 Sliding down Shamooo

 Our view for breakfast

 I LOVE THE OCEAN!

 The waves were really big most days with a HUGE undertow.  Everyone called it the "Meat Grinder."  If you went in, you totally got destroyed. :)

Ryan golfed with one of his coworkers one day at a beautiful course.  I was happy to get an amazing massage and pedicure instead. :) :) :) 

 Then here are some pics playing in our backyard. :)
Hailey Grace

 E, H, A

 Em

 They have so much fun together. I just look at them all the time and think "you are so blessed to have each other!!!"

 Hailey, Addy, Emily

 Addy

SISTERS!

 This was their "pose" that they wanted to come up with.  Not bad! :)

Birthdays and DeJa Vu

HI!  Wow - this Fall has been nuts.  Probably our busiest one yet!  We've just had all sorts of fun stuff going on!  Last weekend, my brother Kyle and new sister in law Heather came to visit.  It was PERFECT that they could come because for one, the Packers were playing the Broncos and Heather is a HUGE Packers fan (and Kyle and the rest of my family are Broncos fans)....so we were actually able to get tickets to the game and Ryan and I and Kyle and Heather went!  I was seriously losing sleep over who I was going to cheer for though.  I do really like the Packers now because the Broncos are never on....plus, the Packers are super bowl champs...and I really like Rodgers, Driver, Jennings and Raji :) ...BUT....Colorado is where I'm FROM!  and I LOOVEE Colorado!  So it was a serious struggle...but...when in doubt...I went with what I had in my closet :)  so Go Pack Go! :)
We had so much fun having them here and the game was amazing.  We had great seats and the weather was unbelievable!  Then Monday was the girls' 4th birthday!  So we celebrated with everyone and we even got to bring Kyle and Heather to the girls' classroom. On the kids' birthdays, the parents get to come to class and help the kids explain pictures of their life and what they like to do, etc.  Then we bring in the birthday snack (this year we made letter cookies with the first letter of every kids' name).  And the girls did great explaining their stuff!  They are seriously SO BIG!!!  I really can't believe how fast time flies!  Here's a little recap on the girls at age 4:

Addy - She continues to tower above her sisters by a good 2-3 inches and she is measuring like a 5 year old!  She loves to eat anything and everything except mac and cheese.  She really loves sports - especially volleyball, basketball and soccer and riding her bike! She is a very determined girl - as in, she'll practice shooting a basket forEVER until she makes one.   She is very chatty at home, describes school in detail and loves helping me around the house with making dinner, doing dishes, setting the table, etc.  She is a nurturer and a little mama's girl. :) In public, she is much more reserved at first...but once you get to know her, she's your best friend! :) Addy loves to look at books and loves being read to.  She's very interested in letters and also numbers - she loves practicing addition and that blows my mind.  I think this girl is going to love learning!  Addison is also very black and white.  She knows when a rule is broken and makes sure everyone knows it.  She's also pretty stubborn as she knows what she wants and how she wants it. :)

Emily - Em is a teeny bit taller than Hailey.  And her hair is a teeny bit longer if that helps any of you see the differences in them. :)  Em loves detail.  She loves to color inside the lines....and she loves playing with teeny tiny things.  I'd say Em is my little encourager as she is known to whisper to me at night before bed "Mom, I have a secret..you are the best mama ever."  (Melts my heart).  She is also known to encourage others though too and she's the first one to (usually) share her toys.  She often says "No worries Mom, I'll share my toy with whoever." Emily is very outgoing and laid back.  She is also very into swimming and is quite the little fish in the water.  She is pretty willing to try anything and take risks.  She's also pretty funny and is known to just make you laugh by the expression she has on her face or the things she says. Em is our little sweetheart!!!

Hailey  - Hailey is our baby!!!  Hailey is all about people.  She hates to be alone and always wants company whether she's playing with toys or in the bathroom. :)  She is very outgoing and will talk to anyone - even random people at the store.  :)  She is VERY observant and notices if you put a clip in your hair, if you changed your purse, if you got a new watch, or anything like that.  She seems to be a girly girl! :)  She loves getting dressed by herself and doing her own hair.  She has an obsession with purses and filling them with ANYTHING random and then carrying them all around the house.  Hailey is also pretty protective of her things.  You should see her desk - it's piled high with junk (er..i mean stuff) and she always asks me to watch it so her sisters won't take any of her things.  She has a deep concern for others...and loves to be active.  She's not one to sit and watch tv cuz she's too busy organizing her toys or playing.  Hailey also likes to be "in charge" and take the lead when playing. Hailey is pretty independent and willing to jump right in and try anything.

I can't even tell you how much I love my girls.  I feel so blessed and just in awe that I get to raise them. I'm not sure if I dare say it but I think we're turning a corner in parenting as it has seemed a bit "easier" lately.  Definitely challenging and definitely a different stage...but easier in many ways.  I love this age...I love seeing them learn and seeing their personalities interact with each other.  Happy Birthday to my little miracles.  I LOVE YOU!!!

Here are the great cakes that Grandma Kathy made for the girls!

 Uncle Kyle!  (He taught them how to say "Go Broncos" So now they say that to torment Ryan) :)

 Auntie Heather!

 So....this past weekend....I drove 7.5 hours to South Dakota to see my friend Heather who is 27 weeks pregnant with triplet boys.  I just wanted to sit with her, encourage her, and help her get ready for her life to change in a huge way. :)  I'm not gonna lie - she's pretty big. :) :) And doing an EXCELLENT job at growing these babies.  I told her that she's pretty good at getting fat. :)  But she is!  She's such a great mom already and she seriously is working hard at eating like 7 protein meals a day to grow these babies and it's working!  They are already like 2 1/2 pounds which is BIG for 27 weeks!  Keep it up Heather!  She's pretty much on bedrest though and trying to just take it easy a lot.  Which is VERY difficult with her 21 month old boy running around!  But she's doing a good job accepting help from tons of people and trying to just sit.  I took her to Hobby Lobby and I got to wheel her around in a wheelchair as we shopped.  I also got to go through all her baby clothes and gear and help her get organized.  And it was so fun playing with her son Tyler while she napped.  He's growing up so fast. It was SO much fun to be there and 'experience' being pregnant with triplets again.  :)  When she would nap, I would just get all sentimental and teary eyed as I hung up all her (thousands) :) of baby clothes....it is SUCH an amazing feeling to know that 4 years ago, I gave birth to healthy triplet girls...and now I get to help my best friend prepare for hers to come....it was like DeJaVu...and I just get all weepy thinking about what she gets to go through the next couple of months.  It is definitely a roller coaster...but it's so comforting to know that God's the one controlling it all.  And that's another thing.  God has been completely at work in BOTH of us with having triplets.  God gave me so much peace throughout it all...and now with Heather...I see Him seriously giving her that same peace too.  At first she was very overwhelmed and full of anxiety about it all and then now, it's like you can just SEEEEE people praying for her.  God is working in both her and Evan and it's such an amazing thing to see.  I wish I could explain it better!

Wheeling Heather around Hobby Lobby :) So fun!

 Check out the presents I found for Tyler - a Brewers hat and a big bro of triplets shirt! :)

 And these little shirts I found....can you BELIEVE this is what her family will look like?  I love shopping for boys!!! :)

 Love you Heather!  You are doing a FANTASTIC job!!!  Keep it up!!!!

 They will always have their amazing sense of humor. :)

And, I just love having someone who knew me before triplets, knew me through having the triplets...and knows me now too.  It's sooo great sharing this with her...and I love that we'll have so much in common but yet SOO many fun stories to share about the differences raising triplet girls and triplet boys (plus one other!)  Oh my....I'm so excited for the years ahead. :)  Please keep praying for baby boys A, B, and C!!!