Lather, Rinse, Repeat (thanks Denise!)

I have to give credit to the blog entry title to my friend Denise. We were talking at the Y the other morning about how the daily grind and routine of life sometimes wears us down and she said, I feel like all I do is lather, rinse, repeat. The statement and the sentiment fit my life perfectly so it inspired me to do a blog entry. Why? Because Monday through Friday it seems like we do the same thing. Get up, eat breakfast, play, go to the YMCA, come home, play, eat lunch, take a nap (triplets only), play, eat a snack, play, eat dinner, take a bath, play, sleep, get up and repeat. The good news is that because we go to the YMCA so often, the novelty of the triplets is starting to wear off so we can just ‘be normal’ when we go there and not be stared at like zoo exhibits. Every so often, we add something new to the mix. We had Nana here for a quick overnight visit last weekend, my grandparents officially moved to town and then we finished with visitors from out of state!

It began last weekend when Nane stopped by for an overnight stop on her way back home from Wilmington. Of course, when Nana comes, we get to do new and exciting things, like get out the roller coaster toy that Chase got for Christmas a few years ago. 

What is this?

Only bad things can happen here...

Then my grandparents finally moved into the apartment here in Raleigh. They had been staying with my mom in town until their furniture arrived from Florida. The boys and I  got to spend Memorial Day with them at the pool and what a good time we had while Jason played golf in Myrtle Beach for the weekend.

Chase being silly

Ta-Da!

Happy Memorial Day 2012! In honor of all those who fight for our freedom...

The boys, Jason and I ventured over to their new place on Sunday to visit and have some lunch. They are in a great little area that has some shopping and restaurants in walking distance! With perfect weather, we packed up the wagon and walked to have some lunch. After lunch, Jason, Chase and Pop-pop (my grandfather) walked across the street to the hardware store while the triplets, Mom-mom (my grandmother) and I finished our lunch and started back to their apartment. Chase is SO excited that they live so close. He literally ran down the driveway to share the news with a neighbor when we got home. It will be great having them so close and being able to drive there for lunch or just a visit whenever we need a “fix”.

We always have a little time for being silly and using our toys in new and exciting ways. Here we decide that the bucket that normally holds all our balls should hold us. So we dumped the toys and had a seat ourselves.

Jack being silly with his shakers from the Bouchards (thanks guys!)

Graham in the bucket while Anthony decides to join him

Anthony thinks he should 'steer' Graham in the right direction

 

Then, my aunt and uncle (Pat and Rick) came to visit from California. Chase spent some time in California in the summer of 2010 when I was pregnant with the triplets so he remembered who they were and boy, what a time he had! Uncle Rick is the perfect playmate for an almost 4 year old boy and Aunt Pat became the star in the eyes of Anthony who would literally dive out of my arms into hers! Needless to say, the 3 days were spent with lots of laughs and memories being made. My two cousins (their daughters) and my brother and I are plotting for a beach trip next summer with ALL the relatives. Look out coast of North Carolina…here we come! 

Aunt Pat and Anthony (with a cookie in his mouth)

Jack gives Grandma a little love

Uncle Rick showing Jack some pictures of his cousins Samantha, Ethan and Finn

Anthony wants to see them too!

Graham, Jack and Anthony rocking to Elmo

Table for 10 please - and yes, we need 3 high chairs to go with that

Jack, Uncle Rick, Graham, Chase, Aunt Pat and Anthony - June 2012

After eating a fantastic dinner and saying our good-byes to my aunt and uncle, we headed home to get the boys cleaned up and in bed. These days the triplets are in bed, usually asleep, by 8:00 pm and Chase is reading books with us and watching a little TV before his bedtime of 9:00 pm. Last night was just a little different though and one for the books. After we put the triplets to bed, Jason and I decided to let Chase go outside and ride his bike (aka big wheel) in the cul-de-sac. The weather was perfect and we could tell that he wasn’t quite ready for bed so we got our lawn chairs, a cold beer and headed to the driveway. While Jason and I sat and enjoyed some adult time to visit, Chase rode in circles. And then it happened……he saw his first lighting bug.

From there, the game was on. I explained to him how when I was little, I would run around Mom-mom and Pop-pop’s yard with Uncle Matt and we could catch lightning bugs in our hands, watch them light up and then let them go. He had a new mission. He ran and clapped, ran and clapped and ran and clapped with no success. I decided to help him out a little and catch one to show him how to do it. So I got up, found a lightning bug close to him and had him follow me while I tried to catch it. After I caught it, we transferred it to his hand so he could practice letting it go. (Sidebar, I wasn’t quite ready to explain to him that we also would catch them, wait for them to light up and then remove the lights to make rings – he’ll figure that out on his own!). From there, he would find a bug, track it and try very hard to catch it. This game amused him for the longest time and Jason and I just laughed watching the intensity of his movements. While he never successfully caught one on his own, he kept trying and I can see this being something we have to do often! Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the evening! Of course, this morning, it was back to lather, rinse and repeat!