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

All about Chase

Disclaimer: There won't be any cute pictures with this post because that child is never still long enough for me to actually get a picture of him!

As I stood in the kitchen cleaning up after lunch today, that is another entry in itself, I paused to just watch Chase playing outside. You see, the pollen has invaded! Everything has that lovely yellow-green coating on it, so Chase was on his own for the time-being. Little brothers were trapped on the screened in porch, which I had to vacuum just so they could crawl around, and Chase had the yard to himself. What caught my attention was how peaceful he was. I am not even really sure if that is the right word, but I am not sure how else to describe it. Let me try to explain.

Over the last year, it has become glaringly obvious to anyone who knows us that the focus of this family has been the triplets. Most friends think to ask about Chase. However when the general public stop us to talk, only a few are good about noticing Chase. I have really worried about how Chase is handling all of this chaos. I guess I shouldn't worry because everyone who deals with him constantly reports about what a great boy he is, how wonderful he is, etc. I love to hear this because it isn't often that I get to witness most of this myself. Well, today, I took the time to savor the moment.

Like I said earlier, here I was in the kitchen, babies on the porch and Chase was hanging by himself. I had promised that I would come outside and play 'chasing monster' with him once I was done. Basically, that means he runs and I have to catch him. Great energy burner...for me! He however is like the energizer bunny with this game. While I was trying to finish the kitchen, I noticed him just 'being'. First, he got his bike (aka big wheel) and was riding it around the back garage. When he was done with that, he got out the bucket and ping pong paddle and ball. He proceeded to try and hit the ball into the bucket (a game he and I play and make a competition out of - not surprising, right?). Then he really got my attention. He ran to his swing and started swinging on his stomach. It was that innocent movement that made me realize that he really is doing okay with all this. He is still just an innocent little boy who loves to ride his bike, hit a ball, run in the yard and swing on the swing. He just went back and forth with this adorable smile on his face. While I wanted to run and grab the camera to capture the moment, I also wanted to just keep it to myself. To take a mental picture and remember that sweet happy little boy. I also wanted to be done in the kitchen so I raced through the rest of the clean-up and joined him outside.

When I did, the monster chased and the little boy laughed and all seemed right in the world. Even with the chaos and 'groundhog's day patterns' of our days, I wouldn't have traded that moment for anything. Yes, I miss being with my friends at work sometimes. Yes, I get frustrated when I have yet more food to prepare, diapers to change, laundry to fold and floors to clean. But No, I don't regret being home with my boys because of the little moments like that. When Chase and I get to just play and be silly and the triplets are watching us from the porch and laughing. Those are the moments that make it special, well those and the little boy who stole my heart first, Chase Matthew Liner. Don't ever forget just how special you are to me. Even when it seems like you are lost in the midst of the chaos, I will always find you and love you!

Happy St. Patrick's Day - 2012

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Waiting for baths - J, A, G

Wow, how things change in a year. Around this time last year, the boys were tiny little newborns who were completely dependent on me for EVERYTHING! This year, Graham is walking, no make that running, everywhere. Anthony is inches away from walking. He will take 2-3 steps and then fall forward while he cackles. It is hilarious to watch and listen. Jack is making progress every day. He is engaging in the ‘rough housing’ that Jason does with all the boys whereas a few short weeks ago he would have just sat on the sideline and watched from my lap. His PT sessions are going great and he is more mobile than ever before and is gaining confidence with every movement. Oh, and did I mention that Anthony and Graham like to play on top of the train table now?

Anthony standing while Graham tried to sneak off without being caught!

 

Of course, I would be remiss not to mention Chase and what he is up to. His teachers at Preschool sing his praises. They tell me on a regular basis that he has the best manner of a child his age they have ever seen (which makes my heart sing because that is something I personally believe is sorely lacking in many people today). He still loves school and the triplets and I spend the ride home being showered with the letter of the day, number of the day or story that was shared that day. I love listening to him talk with such excitement about what he is learning and the little ones are just as enthralled.

Now that the recap is over, back to the reason for my post today, St. Patrick’s Day. Most of you are aware of the fact that I spent most of my childhood in Savannah, Georgia and am an Irish Catholic girl. A minor detail that some might not know about that city is that there is a HUGE Irish-Catholic population so St. Patrick’s Day is kind of a big deal down there, as in school is cancelled because the city gets inundated with visitors from all over! Since I went to high school along the parade route downtown and we parked around the city squares, we literally couldn’t park to get to class so we get days off. Depending on the day of the week, we sometimes even got a half day on the 16^th in preparation for all the craziness. With that in mind, you may not be surprised to know that since I have left Savannah, I have had a hard time finding the proper way to continue my celebrations. This year however, I had a built-in idea.

Many of you remember the picture below. It was taken at the Old Well at UNC campus after Jason, my Mom, all the boys – the triplets were about 6 weeks old at the time – and myself finished the ZTA Franklin 5K. Well, we enjoyed ourselves so much that we decided to sign up again this year. It was scheduled for today so off we went. However, before I share the pictures and stories from today, I need to make sure that you know a tiny fact about the night before.

March 2011

 My mom and I drove to Greensboro (a little over an hour away) to watch the Notre Dame men’s basketball team play in the NCAA tournament. Ironically, the game prior to ours was Duke – NOT my school of choice. ND had the late game which meant a tip around 9:45 pm (just before my normal bedtime). Mom and I left after getting the boys and Jason some dinner and settled upstairs for the night – Jason is cast free and offered (read that to mean was asked by me) to watch the boys so Mom and I could take this little journey. We arrived at the coliseum and got to watch Duke lose to Lehigh – definite highlight of the night since ND didn’t even tip until 10:16 pm and ended up losing a very close game. Mom and I arrived home close to 2:00 AM.

We woke up bright and early today, loaded all the boys in the car and headed to Chapel Hill for the 5K. 

Pre-race

Since it was St. Patty’s Day, we had to wear our green. Our AWESOME shirts were made for us by Aunt Lindsey and I cannot tell you the number of compliments we got on them! All the boys were stars of the show. I don't have a good shot of Chase's because he NEVER stays still long enough for me to get a picture of him.

Anthony

Graham

Jack

Jason took Chase and Anthony in one stroller and I took Graham and Jack in the other. Chase ran part of the race with Jason and when he needed a break, he hopped back in the stroller for a quick rest. As the finish line approached, Jason relayed the following to me:

            "There was a gap in the crowd before and after us so I got Chase out of the stroller

about 100 yards or so away from the finish line and asked if he wanted to run to the finish line himself. Running? Of course he said yes. As he made his way closer to the finish, he gave Ramses (UNC’s mascot) a high five and made the final turn." As he did, Jason said that the crowd just erupted! You have to know Chase and his running for the true mental image. He really is fast for his age and he gets this serious look on his face and the combination of the two makes for great racing! Needless to say, the crowd continued to go wild until he actually crossed the finish line and then they erupted again when he jumped out of the crowd to cross it with my Mom, Jack, Graham and myself.

We were joined at the 5K by our friends Tre` and Laura and their two girls, Evie and Lily who Chase adores. 

The Morgans

Lily, Evie and Chase - stopping just long enough for a picture and then they were off again!

 I had brought post-race snacks and some balls and blankets so that we could hang on campus for a while. We headed to the quad for some good outdoor fun and to just enjoy the beautiful day. 

Jack in front, Anthony behind

Graham

Lily enjoying some 'quiet' time

The view of my world today - I wouldn't have traded it for anything! Jason and Tre` playing soccer with Chase and Evie while Lily and Graham play trucks and Anthony pushes the stroller himself.

We also had to take our yearly "Family photo at the Old Well". The kids played until it was time for lunch and then we headed home. I think we wore them out, how about you?

J, G, A and Chase - finally got a good shot of his awesome shirt in this one!

Before lunch

DONE!

Graham and Jack - enough is enough

Anthony even gave up!

 I have to say that this day has been hard for me to really enjoy in the past because it was always such a big day for my Dad but this year had a different feel. I still missed him like crazy but I had a sense of peace. I don’t know, maybe it was the perfect Carolina-blue sky, maybe it was seeing how much fun the boys had, maybe it was being able to spend some girl-time with my mom that was kid-free. I can’t put my finger on it. All I know is that this is the first one in a long time that has felt right. As the boys grabbed at my Irish necklace charm that my Dad gave me, it made my heart loosen just a bit and a smile spread across my face. Happy St. Patrick’s Day Dad!