Late Labor Day Update!

Hi!  Wowee!  Life is just busy!  Can't believe I haven't updated for so long!  Here is what we have been up to.  Well labor day weekend we went up to the lake!  Our friends Dan and Christina (and their daughter Caroline) who now live downtown and are involved with a city church plant (so we don't see them as much anymore)...came up to the lake...and then also our friends Heather and Evan (and their son Tyler) drove up from South Dakota!  Heather and Evan are the ones who also had triplets...but 3 BOYS 9 months ago!  The babies didn't make it to the lake this time - but next time I hope!  It was just really good for them to get away and spend some quality time with their oldest Tyler....  The girls had so much fun playing with Tyler and "babysitting" Caroline.  Here they are with Tyler...  (Tyler, Emily, Hailey, Addison)

 Heather and Evan and Tyler.  Crazy to think they have THREE MORE BOYS missing in this picture!

 Me and my bestie. :)  It was such a treat hanging out with her again.  I am SO glad they could come out!!  We were trying to decide if we should write a book or start speaking in hospitals or who KNOWS what. :) Our story is just TOOO crazy that two best friends both had triplets...  so we will see where God takes us.  :)

We laugh a ton together!

 Tyler is such a little lover.  So cute.  He was always going up to the girls and giving them big hugs.  Here's Tyler and Emily.

 I just love how Tyler is looking at the girls.  Just WAIT til they come to the lake when he is 16, the girls are 18, and Heather's triplets are 14!  TRRROUBBLLE!! :) :)

 Emily, Addison, Caroline, and Hailey watching a movie

So that was Labor Day weekend.  And since then, it's just been nuts!  Ryan has been traveling a TON for work (and for fun on the weekends with college friends and then friends from here) and has been having lots of meetings being on Council and planning the school golf outing.  I have been also having tons of meetings for school stuff, youth group, small group, and planning the youth group's Fall Retreat, oh and planning church's women's retreat!  There's just been a lot going on! Plus I've been able to get together with some of my multiples mom friends for coffee now that the girls are in school so that has been fun!  When I think about the parenting challenges that we face now, it's about clothes!  Haha!  So things have definitely improved...but now there are battles about not wanting to wear certain shoes cuz they hurt their pinkie toes or not wanting to wear a shirt cuz it's too baggy or poofy or whatever.  I didn't expect this this soon!!!  Yikes!  Part of me wants to just pick our battles and let them wear whatever....but then Emily would be wearing a little sundress every single day no matter what the weather!  I'm not kidding!  (She comes home from school and changes into it immediately).  The hard part though, is that I paid for the clothes!!!  So it's just frustrating having clothes sit in the closet (that I bought the year before to try to get a good deal)...and then they won't wear it!  Oh boy - I feel like I can't take them shopping and pick stuff out yet cuz they don't understand pricing and sales and all of that.  Ohhhh man.  People tell me it's all just beginning.  Oh boy!!  I tell ya, buying clothes and all of that is like a full time job if you are trying to get deals.  Yesterday I took the girls to Walmart cuz I saw they had the cheapest shoes and then of course, they only have ONE in their size.  So it's tricky! Sorry I'm venting apparently!  They still like to match or coordinate  (which is nice because that at least is easier!)...and usually if one has a problem with an outfit or something, then they all do.  Addy is the least into clothes and usually just holds her hands out so I can put clothes on her while she watches a cartoon. :)  
Anyway - the girls are loving school!  Today was their first field trip to an apple tree!  They adore their teacher and always have lots of stories.  Even at Walmart yesterday they were all singing a song about "you start your letters at the top top top..." and on and on this went all throughout the store.  They started a little basketball at the Y which is so cute to watch.  It is SO cute seeing them do actual drills and how their "defensive slides" end up looking like unicorns jumping..but they are loving it! :)