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!

Mother's Day 2012

As I was thinking about how to explain Mother’s Day, I was struck by how my ideal seems to have changed over the last year. It didn’t help my attitude that poor Anthony woke up sick (literally) and spent the better part of the day feeling miserable and that the weather was pretty crummy by the time we tried to get outside. However, it was those factors that made me realize that every day really is Mother’s Day.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t have loved to sit around and read trashy novels on the couch and eat bon-bons but that isn’t life. At least not for this mom! Instead, I am caretaker, fixer of all things that break (both living and plastic), cleaner of the house and all that it contains and the one who is supposed to know where everything is and how we are going to get everything done.

For me, this is my new reality. For me, I enjoy it – for the most part. Don’t get me wrong, I get tired of the monotony and routine of daily life but it sure does help all of us to have one. The irony is that spending Mother’s Day doing what I normally do reminded me that being a mom isn’t glamorous or fancy. It is what it is – life. As I sat there rocking Anthony and trying to console him while listening to Chase play with Jack and Graham, I was reminded that being a mom isn’t supposed to be glamorous or fancy. Being a mom means being the one who knows how to soothe a sick child and still manage to fix lunch and do the laundry. For me, being a mom is life and I celebrate it in little ways every day, not just on the one that Hallmark says we should. Of course, I don’t object to my husband being reminded to do something a little special for me! I hope everyone out there who plays a ‘mother’ role had an amazing day – whether you were celebrating surrounded by people or in an intimate setting.

Happy Mother’s Day 2012!

Chase plays golf

Chase made his first trip to the driving range this past weekend.  He's hit the plastic balls around the back yard a lot, but this was his first real golf experience.  He had such a blast and actually showed signs of some good swings.  Click here to see the video.  It's priceless.

Beach to Beach

We have been quite busy the last couple of weeks. We haven’t really taken many overnight trips since the triplets arrived – logistics with 3 in cribs and all of their ‘stuff’ can be quite tricky. We have been brave only 1 time before and most of the big items (pack and plays, bumbos) were already there so we only had to bring one of each – like a normal family would! Needless to say going places that already have a ‘base supply’ is crucial in my world.

With that being said, we had back to back weekend trips planned in April. The first was to Oak Island, NC with Jason’s Dad and Step-mom (aka Popi and Meme). The weather was perfect for the triplets first beach trip of the season. Sunny but not too hot. A little cloud cover but not so much that it was grey skies. The drive down was uneventful – which with 4 boys under 4 is always a good thing! We arrived Friday afternoon and hit the beach right away. I had some set notions about how each of the boys would react to the sand and ocean. I couldn’t have been more wrong! Jack LOVED it and screamed with delight every time the waves rolled toward him. Anthony (the only one I was right about) made a complete mess of himself by eating the sea rocks and sand. Graham HATED it. And I mean all of it, the sand, the water, the sun – he wanted to get as far away as possible. Chase headed right for the water and started to play which was a drastic change from the fall when he wouldn’t go near the water without someone holding his hand. Most notable part of this trip – Jack walked. He had taken some steps a few days earlier but it wasn’t many and they weren’t steady. Well, with the help of Popi, he walked several feet on his own and many more with very little help. He was so proud of himself and would clap when he would finally sit down.

Jack and Anthony enjoying some sand rocks

Enjoying some beach time - Graham is on top of Popi as safe as he can get from the mean beach

Jack trying to get the water to come back to him while Anthony is on his way to be cleaned off - again!

The following weekend had us packing up again and heading to Savannah, GA. Matt and Jennifer were holding a vow renewal ceremony on the beach and we were all going to be in attendance. Again, uneventful drive there and back (thanks again boys!) and the place we stayed was perfect for all of us. The boys could roam and play in a secure area and we were about 150 yards to the beach. Best memory of this trip: watching Chase play with the boys in the tidal pool. Even Graham got in on the action with a little help from Uncle Matt – who he loves dearly and has become even more attached to. Jack walked about 30 feet on the beach by himself (packed sand but still by himself nonetheless). The weather was amazing again – sunny, warm but not hot and all the kids had an amazing time. We visited with family friends, made some new ones and remembered those that aren’t with us any more.

Bise and Chase waiting to hit the beach

Playing in the tidal pool

Jack in all his goofy glory

Pig pen Anthony - always a mess

Graham playing in the sand

Chase pulling Jack on the boogie board

Chase enjoying boogie board

All in all, I have to admit that I am more willing to take some trips with the boys. Granted, it will still have to be to places where some of the cribs and high chairs are there already because the Clampetts can only fit some much in their minivan – rear cargo platform or not!

Spring Fever

Well over a month has passed since the last post and I actually thought I would get to it sooner than that! Oh well, life happens. What have we been up to… tons and tons!

After the Franklin 5K on St. Patrick’s Day we got ready for more warn weather and lots of fun. We started the fun with our friend Evie’s birthday party at the Museum of Life and Science butterfly house. All the boys went and had a great time. Chase even got to hold a butterfly (well, let it sit on his finger is the more correct description).

Chase and his butterfly at Evie's birthday party

 Then we geared up for March Madness and the end of Carolina Basketball – too hard to talk about so I will just say that we had a pretty good rhythm going with the Morgan family until “the injury” ended that series of events.

Chase and Evie enjoying a cookie while rooting on the Tarheels

Popi came for a quick overnight visit so we managed to get this shot.

Popi and his boys (L-R: J,A,G,C)

 Early April blessed us with gorgeous weather so we spent lots of time outside with some of it watching Chase play soccer. Yes, microsoccer has begun again and this time I get to try to watch him (no, I am not coaching this time around) and keep up with 3 walkers and a speed racer-crawler. Let the good times roll! Chase has a new buddy on his team, Joey and they crack us up to watch. He is literally dominating on the field to the point where Jason and I get a little embarrassed with how well he does compared to some of the other kids. The best thing I have been told though is how wonderful his manners are. Above all, that still seems to shine through and I love it. We have a few more weeks left and then we will have to wait until Rookie Sports Camp this summer for more organized sports to start. He isn’t old enough for T-ball or we would have signed him up for that too.

The Jellyfish - Spring 2012

Chase in action - tongue out just like his Daddy (and Grandpa!)

Then came Easter – holy moly did we have a busy Easter weekend. We started at an egg hunt at a classmate of Chase on Friday morning, followed by a Festival and egg hunt at Matt and Jennifer’s church on Saturday wrapped up with Brunch with the Easter bunny at Grandma’s club. But wait, we then had to find the eggs that the Easter bunny left at our house. Whew!

Hunting eggs at Wes' house

Jack and Graham at the festival

After the festival egg hunt

Cousins Easter 2012 (J,G,A in front)

Easter 2012 (J, A, G)

Daddy, Chase and the Easter bunny (Chase couldn't wait to get home to wear his new Lightning McQueen Crocs)

With Nana Easter 2012

With Grandma Easter 2012

The whole clan Easter 2012

Jack

Graham on the hunt

Anthony

Chase making bunny ears with his Elmo bunny eggs

All in all, everyone is doing remarkably well. Jack is on a break from physical therapy. We decided to wait until after his 15 month appointment and have the pediatrician evaluate him as well. Then he will go back for a follow-up with the therapist to determine whether we need to resume or not. Personally, I think he won’t have too because he is doing amazing right now. He is scheduled to have tubes put in his ears on May 4^th which I think will help him walk on his own. That is the biggest thing he can’t do right now – walk or stand on his own. Graham and Anthony are cutting teeth like crazy along with Jack so we are on what seems to be a constant regemin of Tylenol and Benedryl (pollen issues) but it works just fine for us!

Chase has a little over a month of school left and is still doing great. I am in awe of some of the things that he tells me at the end of the school day and some of the things that he retains and can recall weeks or months later. He is entering that phase where he is starting to push limits a little more so we are trying to strike a good balance between allowing him to explore his world but me still keeping my sanity! Hopefully we are doing okay with it!

We have some trips coming up in the next few weeks which will lead to another blog soon so keep looking. Until then, I hope you have enjoyed the update and pictures.

More good videos

Click on the links to watch the videos on youtube.

This one is Chase playing Badminton on the Wii this past weekend. He is slightly competitive.

This one is the triplets after their bath tonight. Wrestling...it's what we do after baths. We're like puppies!

Precious Video

It's rare these days to get all four boys focused on one thing long enough to get any good video, but tonight I got a great clip of them playing blocks together. Too precious so I had to post for all to see!

Click here to watch it on youtube