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!!!