4 Years and Counting

My dear Chase,

How it is even possible that you are 4 years old already? And in true Chase fashion, already asking when you are going to be 5! We celebrated with a Lightning McQueen party and you got more gifts than you needed but boy did you have fun! 

This year was Cars, Cars and more Cars for you!

You were "Bad to the Bone" as you waved to your friends at your party

 

The year has gone by with so many memorable moments and I keep saying that I have to write them down before I forget but then time gets away from me. Although I won’t be as well-documented in written form, I can make you this promise, you will always be well-documented in my heart and mind. You are a part of me and time will never change that fact.

What have you been doing over the last year? Growing, learning and loving are the best ways for me to simplify for you. You have not only grown up physically, but your mind has expanded in ways that leave your Dad and I speechless, literally. Whether it be when you recap your day at preschool with exact detail or remember something that happened 6 months ago, your vocabulary and language skills impress us beyond belief. The fact that you even use the words in their correct context is even more amazing to us. Take for example, the day you boys were playing with Daddy and you told Jack to run to the right and you ran to the left so Daddy wouldn’t catch you. You looked at me and said, “Mom, I used Jack as a distraction so Daddy couldn’t catch me.” Seriously, what 4 year old talks about using siblings as a distraction?! You learned to write your name in preschool this year but still aren’t sure if you prefer to write with your right or your left hand. More to come in the future on this one I guess! You are starting to sound out words by looking at the letters and practicing how they sound. You will “read” books to your brothers (if they slow down long enough to let you that is). You have learned to sing and dance and say the blessing before every meal for us. (AhMan is how you pronounce Amen, melts my heart every time!)

Daddy and his boys (G,J,A,C)

Before bed when Bise came to spend the night with us (G,A,J,B,C)

You have become an amazing boy and I am literally told by everyone you come in contact with how good you are. They all still comment on your manners and how well you listen and follow directions. That makes me almost as proud as anything else you could ever accomplish.

Love, my goodness how you love. You get your feelings hurt when other people are sad, you comfort your friends when they are upset and console your brothers when they cry. Just this morning, Graham was crying and you pulled him into your lap on the couch and rubbed his back while he sat with you. In a matter of seconds, he was calm and resting his head on your shoulder. Again, while it isn’t captured on film, I took my own mental photo and stored it away for the time when you have him in a headlock and are the reason why he is crying!

You are excited beyond words that you now have Grandma, Mom-mom, Pop-Pop, Uncle Matt, Aunt Jen, Bise and Meredith all living here in Raleigh (which you remind me of daily). And the fact that more family lives in NORTH Carolina (emphasis on the North when you say it) makes you giggle. You loved spending time with Aunt Lindsey, Olivia, Addison and Allye but were sad that Uncle Nate had to work. Yet, you understood what that meant and kept saying that we would see him soon.

On your new Lightning McQueen bike with Pop-Pop, Mom-mom and Grandma in the background

You are swimming with new confidence after finishing your swim lessons and getting your own puddle jumper and will now go under water and ‘dive’ for treasure on your own. You make friends wherever you go and are constantly on the go. Busy just doesn’t describe your movements on a regular basis.

Miss Katy and you kicking like crazy. She was AWESOME!

You still let me hold you everyone once and a while and while you may be getting bigger and heavier, you still let me carry you to bed at night (if I ask to). I can’t imagine life without you and am grateful for everything you have given me and taught me. You remind me daily of how special and precious life can be and I try not to take these moments for granted. I love you more than I can ever express and love being your mom. Please don’t grow up too soon, I still want my little boy around.

On the day you were born

On the day you turned 4

Smiles

So the last week has given me enough smiles for a lifetime. It started when Jason and I went to Orlando for an early anniversary adult-only vacation. His cousin Liz and her ‘crew’ offered to keep the boys for us and we took advantage of it. Jason had a conference for work that started on Sunday night so I tagged along and we went down a couple of days early. We had tons of great food, 2 rounds of golf and lots of pool and sun time. I have to admit that I missed the kids, but not as much as I thought I would. I did NOT miss the daily grind. It was nice to not have to think about breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and all the stuff in between for just a few days. I got to eat a hot meal SLOWLY and actually enjoy eating it without constant background jabber. I came home on Monday while Jason stayed on and finished out his conference. Jason talked to Chase twice a day and not once did he ask about me or to talk to me! Go figure. However, when I returned he was just as excited as the triplets. And let me just say that was another reason to smile. Those boys went CRAZY when I came up the stairs. I literally just laid on the floor and let them crawl all over me. Think puppies in a box with a new toy – got the image? Now, change the puppies to 16 month olds and the new toy to me. It was awesome and made me smile for hours!

Then on Tuesday Chase went to swim lessons where he made great strides and is gaining so much confidence in the water. Hooray – but am I really ready for that? And then I got another chance to smile when my new kitchen countertops were installed on Wednesday morning. We are almost done with the kitchen update (no more mid-1980s for me!). Then we met my mom and grandparents at the mall for lunch and playtime (no running water or usable kitchen counters remember? Perfect excuse to eat out.) More smiles watching the boys at the play area in the mall and then literally lunging into my grandparents arms while they watched. Then, to top it all off, we went to the pool late in the afternoon and out for pizza for dinner. (More smiles all around). Jason got home from a day trip to DC a little after 9:00 pm and all the kids were asleep and I wasn’t far behind.

All in all, this week has been a good reminder of all that is good, no scratch that, GREAT in my life. Sometimes, I think I just need to remember that. Especially in the moments where I am going crazy and want to go hide in a corner.

Hopefully I will get some new pictures up soon but we have been so busy that I haven’t stopped to take any!

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.