Celebrations!

I guess I should start with the biggest milestone to date. Big boy beds for Jack, Graham and Anthony. They have been climbing out of their cribs for several months now and since the whole intention in my humble opinion is to be able to 'lock them in' a place so I don't have to worry about them, we decided now was as good a time as any. We took advantage of Memorial Day sales and got new mattresses for the entire family. (No, the boys did not come shopping with us - Meme and Popi were up for a quick overnight trip and offered to watch them for us! Woohoo!) After a couple of battles we have settled into a nice routine and I have to admit it is going better than I thought. It is nice that they can come to us in the morning instead of me having to get out of bed to get them. We have been battling some summer colds so it seems that each boy has taken his turn - or a few- sharing our new bed with us but they all love being in their big boy beds. I need to get a recent picture of their room to add here.  Next hurdle - potty training!

 On to the next celebration:

 Every year, the first weekend in June, our friend throws himself a HUGE birthday party. Over the years, this party has progressed from young singletons who listen to music and drink too much to a more family focused environment. This year, he outdid himself by adding pony rides. I guess I can't even really call them ponies since they were really horses. Yes, horses parading the kids (and some adults) around the yard while everyone ate, drank and visited. All the boys got on the horses. Chase got to ride by himself while Anthony, Jack and Graham rode with either Jason or myself. I should also clarify that Jack never really made it to the riding part of the adventure. We sat on our horse for about 5 minutes waiting for other riders to get off and on and the guides to switch places. While waiting our horse was rather still but it ultimately took one or two steps forward and Jack yelled, "all done, no ride!" So off we got!

Chase had a great time on Gypsy

Jimmy and April have 2 girls so their toys have a slightly different look than ours. The triplets were enamored with this pink car and had to all pile in together. Jason claimed this was the closest to a pink car his boys would ever have!

Anthony and Jack up front with Graham riding on the tailgate

 Earlier that day we took the boys and my niece to go see Elmo Live! Elmo makes music at the PNC arena. Nana had her camera and has all the pictures so when I get them, I will add a few to the blog. Better late than never!

Then came a low key weekend at the pool and hanging at the house getting stuff done before this past weekend which was Father's Day weekend. Jason had decided that he and Chase were ready for camping. By that, I mean pitching the tent in the backyard in case the plan was an epic fail. That way, Daddy could still have WiFi and go online and work once Chase fell asleep. Chase was beyond excited and I think Jason was just as excited. I was excited thinking about the future when all 5 guys go camping and I have the house to myself! :) According to Jason, the night went really well. They got the tent ready late in the afternoon and everyone (triplets included) got to check it out. Then everyone headed to the bath and got on their PJs and when the little ones went off to bed, down went Chase and Daddy. Of course, this was no simple task. You had to get the air mattress and sheets for Daddy, the dog bed and sleeping bag for Chase. Extension cords, laptops, ear buds, movies, oscillating fan and lantern. Then don't forget your sleeping buddies - lovie and Yertle the Turtle - and something to drink. After many trips up and down the stairs to gather their belonging, they settled in for the night. Mommy got a couple snapshots and then came upstairs to be on triplet patrol. Jason and Chase made it until about 5:00 AM when Jason got cold.  When I asked Chase about it the next morning, he wanted to know when they could do it again! Success! With that, Jason started his Father's Day with his first born son under the stars creating their own set of memories. We spent the rest of the day at home celebrating and ended it with date night (just the adults!) It was a great weekend with lots of celebrating.

Daddy and Chase getting ready to camp

Getting settled in our 'beds' for the night

But then came the biggest celebration of all -  DAY CAMP! Yes, all 4 boys are in camp this week from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM. I don't know who is more excited, them or me! While I will admit it was a little odd coming home from the YMCA with no kids and taking a shower without having to listen for screams and fights, I am going to enjoy this week. They all ran to the car bubbling with excitement about going to camp. When we got to camp, they all piled out of the car and headed toward the doors. Chase led the way with Graham and Jack following on his heels. Anthony gave me a look over his shoulder as if to ask why I wasn't going with them. Of course, upon pick up, I got nothing but great reviews about how well they all did. Jack got a little teary during the end of the day assembly but Chase left his huddle and sat by Jack and all was well. - Now that makes me teary. I love how protective Chase is over those boys and how they adore him. I just hope they realize how special that bond is between them and I can foster it over the years. Here's to some kid-free time for Mommy!

CAMP! G, A, J, C (I decided to be nice and have them wear shirts with names for the first day!)

End of School for Chase and Celebrating Popi's birthday in a special way!

 The end of May had us hopping from one event to the next but they were all full of fun and love, well, one was a little sad in a sense. This year marked Chase's last year at preschool with the YMCA. Next year he will attend a transitional-Kindergarten at St. Francis before heading off to Kindergarten. We have loved the YMCA preschool and have made some amazing friends (both Chase and myself included). While I am sad to see him leave this special place, I know the friends we made will endure past the walls of the preschool. The last day of school was "All About Me - Movie Star" day. Chase specifically asked to wear his Pop-pop hat. This is the style of hat his great-grandfather (my grandpa) wears and he has one just like it. He loves to wear it when he can and we actually had semi-coordinating shorts to match with it. He looks like a little man in this shot and it reminds me that my baby is growing up too fast!

Movie Star day at school

The very next week we got to celebrate Popi's birthday with he and Meme. Of course, while that was exciting in itself for us, what made it even better is that we did it at a Durham Bulls' baseball game with them. This was the first ball game for the triplets and I have to admit I was a little unsure how it was going to work out. But with extra hands (1 adult per kid since Meme and Popi were there with us) I was willing to give it a shot. The boys (all of them) did great! The seats are super close to the field and I think that helps keep their attention a little better. It also forces the adults to focus since there are many close calls with foul balls. We got there early to beat the crowd and take some pictures of the family before getting some hot dogs for dinner and watching the teams warm-up. The weather was perfect and the company even better. We hope Meme and Popi has as much fun as we did! 

Graham was not happy about Wool E. Bull - even though it was fake so Daddy had to be the protector for him!

Waiting for the game to start (J, A, C, G)

After the game J, C, A, G (Graham is still not happy about Wool E. Bull!)

Promise to get an update about June very soon....stay tuned!