Well since Labor Day is now over 6 weeks past, I am long
overdue an entry on what we have been up to lately. I mentioned in my last post
that my Mom and I were headed to Boston
for a girls’ weekend. We made it there, had a great time and Jason and the boys
survived without any female interference (assistance in my book) while Mom and
I were away. Remember that I not only went away but took our standard “in case
of emergency” backup plan with me! Kuddos to Jason and the boys for having some
well-deserved boy bonding time. I think that means I get to do it again in the
future, right babe?
Then we had a weekend at home before Jason and I went to Chicago to watch Notre Dame take on Miami (thanks to Liz and Emily for watching
the boys for that trip!). The weekend after had a visit from Nana but not
before a field trip with Chase to Hillridge Farms, a pumpkin patch with lots of
fun things to explore. Jason took the morning off work and we ALL went, and I
mean, ALL. We brought the wagon for the triplets but realized that they just
wanted to run and explore so we let them. That led me to a realization which I
will share soon.
******
 |
| Wes, Chase and Cam at the farm |
 |
| Running the maze with Daddy (Jack and Graham). Anthony had already finished! |
 |
| Chase on top of the haystack |
 |
| Pumpkins! They kept wanting to pick them up and throw them like a ball. They were all yelling, "baball" which means basketball in Liner triplet language. |
 |
| Sitting, not so patiently, in front of the spider haystack |
*******
That week Jason and I went to dinner with my grandparents,
Mom, brother and sister-in-law for an adult only dinner to celebrate my
grandparents’ 65th wedding anniversary. We had a lovely
dinner and it was nice to be able to focus on them without the distraction of
kids.
******
 |
| Celebrating 65 years! |
*******
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that when the calendar page
turned to this month, micro-soccer started for Chase. Practice/games held twice
a week after nap but before dinner. The triplets came to watch the first week
and I realized that this wasn’t going to work. It confirmed my realization from
the field trip. It’s coming, I promise. So I now ‘bank’ time at the YMCA and
instead of putting the boys in the playhouse (child care room) for 2 hours in
the morning while I workout and shower, they only go for 1 hour. Then I can
take them back for the second hour in the afternoon during soccer. Yet another
reason I love the YMCA. The boys get more play time and I get to actually sit
and watch Chase play and cheer on his team. Popi came down for the first practice/game of the season and brought gifts from he and Meme's trip to Alaska.
 |
| Ready for the cold with our toboggans from Alaska |
 |
| I got a cool t-shirt and other trinkets |
******
Nana came and the weather was perfect for us to play outside
and do some pumpkin carving. I decided that carving designs on 6 pumpkins just wasn’t
going to happen so we decided on letters. (Yes, we know that Jason doesn’t
start with a “D” but those are Mommy and Daddy pumpkins…..Chase was in charge
remember).
******
 |
| Our family of pumpkins |
 |
| The boys and their pumpkins |
 | |
| With the pumpkins |
*****
Throw in another stomach bug that took me out of commission
for a couple of days and then decided to attack poor Jack and we are finally to
the current theme, Halloween. Yes, I know the actual day is a couple weeks away
but I had to start planning sooner rather than later since we have a couple
weeks of events to mark the date. Here is the realization: leashes. Yes, for my
kids, not just the dog. I know there are a handful of people who think they are
cruel and can’t imagine any loving parent using them on their children. However,
until you have your own kids keep your opinions to yourself! While the pumpkin
farm was ‘contained’, Jason and I spent most of morning running in opposite
directions chasing triplet toddlers. Chase luckily hung out with his friends
from school and their moms and we just tried to ‘keep up with them’ with the
toddlers in tow. With the leash lesson in mind, my costume planning began…or
shall I say shifted.
I say shifted because I had costumes for the triplets
already but I realized they would never work with the leashes and
Trick-or-Treating would not work without them. A new plan was hatched. Chase
got his mind set on being Jake the pirate from a Disney show (thank you Disney
for the pre-made costume I can pay you to provide) so now for the triplets. I
know I won’t be able to dress them alike for many years so I went with my gut. How
can you get people to not make sarcastic or snide comments when you have your
children on leashes? You make them Dalmatian puppies for Halloween, on a leash
of course! So off I went and my wish came true. We debuted the costumes at the YMCA trunk or treat this
afternoon and the puperazzi (I mean paparazzi) was in full force and people
LOVED it. We spent more time stopping to let people take our picture than we
did actually exploring the festival but it was well worth it. The boys did
great on the leashes and I felt like they enjoyed themselves while I could let
them have a little freedom.
 |
| Heading to the car for some fun |
 |
| Full costumes, buckets, hats (ears) and leashes |
*******
We still have trick or treating at Jason’s office, a
Halloween parade at Chase’s preschool and then the main event but for a first
outing, I am pretty excited for this holiday. We will post more pictures as
events happen but this is just a preview of things to come!
Enjoy!
