Locks of Love

This year I decided to make a school wide Locks of Love drive. I am in charge of the Student Council, so we sent out flyers to the entire school asking for hair donations all year long. Leigha was the first donation, I had saved her braids for this very reason. The first donations we received were from a mom and a DAD! We got a bunch more donations in over the months.

I have been growing my hair out for a long time. I love having my hair long, especially when I am working out. I need to be able to throw it in a ponytail. However, since the year was coming to a close, I knew it was time to see if I had enough hair to donate. I seriously had just enough to donate! It's pretty short in the back, but I was able to keep the length longer in the front since it had been pulled back into a ponytail. It was worth it, Locks of Love is a great organization!

Multicultural Night

On April 22, our school hosted our annual Multicultural Night. Each grade level studies one of the continents for 6-8 weeks. Leigha is in the 2nd grade this year, so she was studying Asia. What great timing considering Noe is in Japan right now. When Flat Stanley was visiting Noe, he sent back a lot of different pictures and items from Tokyo. He even had the cast and crew sign a poster board from the show he is working on.



Leigha had plenty of pictures to put on the Flat Stanley wall.



Leigha loves her teacher, Mrs. Johnson.



As always, I find it very difficult juggling the parent/teacher roles. Before all of the families started arriving, I had Leigha show me around her Great Room and classroom. I wanted her to be able to show off all of the projects she had made. She showed me her country report, Japanese counting book, and a Japanese fan she had made. Up on the wall was a letter to me.



While we were away at school, Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Jerry came over to our house to play with the boys. As always, they had a great time! Grandma and Grandpa had gotten the kids cowboy hats for their birthdays.



They took the boys for a walk to the dirt lot, the one that was supposed to be turned into a park about 3 years ago. We still have hopes, they have trucks moving dirt around finally.

Why It's Grease Lightning!

On Friday, April 17, my school hosted a Sock Hop/Carnival. Now I have been known to dress my boys in the same shirts (especially when I get them for $1.50 each), but this evening was on a whole new level. Our school sold shirts for the event. The girls were "Pink Ladies" and the boys were "T-Birds." Let me say, it was a lot harder keeping up with them than usual. Oh wait, I mean it was a lot harder for my AUNT to keep up with them.

One of the frustrating parts of being a teacher and a parent is that I am responsible for doing things during these events. However, I don't want my kids to lose out because of that. Thankfully, my aunt is a saint. She never hesitates to join me on these adventures, even when I basically leave her on her own for long periods of time!

Leigha was the first one of the crew to jump up and start dancing. She was shy at first, but she jumped in and had fun. Aunt Bobbie, Robert, and Matthew joined in on the fun. I couldn't get my shy boy, Noah, to remove himself from the bench he planted himself on.



What sock hop is complete without it's own little retro table and back drop? Only one problem, three cameras were going off in different directions and I think it confused everyone.



After dancing, and eating, came the hula hoop contests. Leigha couldn't wait to get a turn. Her hula hoop broke long ago and I know that she hasn't had a lot of practice. She was doing a pretty good job!



After a whole lot of dancing and playing, we took the boys out to the playground area to let the kids play for awhile. It's a lot easier to keep track of them when they aren't surrounded by 40 other kids in the same t-shirt!



I hope this picture isn't foreshadowing anything for Matthew!



The kids played around with my aunt while I ran back and helped out more with our cake walk. By the time we all got back together again, the kids wanted ice cream. How perfect, I could buy them all Dilly Bars and then run away and leave my aunt to clean up their mess. I couldn't have planned that any better!



For me, it was a long and exhausting day. However, it was worth it watching the kids have a great time.

An Easter to Remember

I had a really hard time getting into the Easter spirit this year. Saturday really helped get me to where I needed to be. The kids' pictures turned out great and they really loved dying the eggs.

I think everyone was up at some point that night. First, Leigha came in bawling because she couldn't stop picturing this scary commercial on the Cartoon Network. Seriously, I had no patience for that. When she gets into one of her crying fits, there is nothing I can say or do to make her feel better. That is, other than let her stay up on the couch and watch TV. Noah met me at the stairs a few hours later. This makes Easter preperations quite difficult.

Unfortunately, my kids think that morning starts automatically when the sun rises. I was able to hold them off until 7 a.m., but by then they were all up and anxious to see if the Easter bunny had been here.



After teasing them for a moment, with the camera, I opened up the gate and they took off! Leigha knew where to run, and Robert and Noah followed. I don't think Matthew was as fully awake and functional yet. He's my kid that loves to sleep in.



The kids loved going through their baskets. Everything was perfect for them. I couldn't help but smile as I watched the pure joy in their faces and voices as they discovered the different goodies in their baskets. Robert is my Star Wars guy. I think he was rather pleased to see a Star Wars Leapster game in his basket, don't you think?



They even got excited for each other! Although, when one gets a gift, they know it's for all of them really. Matthew received a Leapster Wall-E game. Noah found a Leapster Pets game in his basket, too. So three new Leapster games to keep them occupied. Thank you Easter Bunny, this summer's cross-country trip seems to be getting better and better.



Leigha received two things that she has been dying for. First, she had asked Santa for Blendy Pens, but she didn't receive them. I haven't heard about them for awhile now, but the look on her face when she realized what they were was priceless. She also had Super Mario Brothers Nintendo DS game in her basket. That is the game her friend has that she has wanted really bad. Personally, I thank the Easter Bunny because that is a game that I remember playing on my friend's Nintendo when I was a kid. I might just have to steal her DS and play a bit (in my free time).

After the kids shoved as much candy in their mouths, before I could stop them, we started the egg hunt. The Easter Bunny hid 20 eggs in the room, and it was time to find them ALL.





Leigha was lucky this year, the boys gave up after they found a few eggs each. They had Leapster games on their mind. She had the task of making sure all eggs were accounted for. It seems we might be in the minority. I have been told that hiding real eggs in the house is not normal. All I know is that the Easter Bunny hid our real eggs in our house. I am not sure if this is because Easter can still be cold out in Chicago or what, but it's what I am used to. Once the eggs were found, I lost all four kids to their new video games.



As if Easter wasn't fun and exciting, Leigha decided she needed up the level of excitiement. For the first time ever, Leigha rode a bike! Unfortunately, she hasn't had a lot of time outside with her bike. I didn't feel comfortable letting her ride her bike without supervision, and it's hard to have all of the kids in the front. Imagine the animal cages being opened at the zoo. That's what it looks like when the boys have freedom out front. (Notice that they took off in different directions.)



Now Leigha is on her own and loving it!

BIG Ideas!

This past week we have been on Spring Break, a very much needed break from work. I had my nanny here for part of the time so that I could run around and do everything I don't have time to do while working. This weekend I didn't really have any plans to do anything. I have heard advertisements for egg hunts, but the idea of letting my kids loose, with tons of other people, just didn't appeal to me. We were just going to have a nice and relaxing weekend.

Then I started feeling guilty that I had not taken the kids to visit the Easter Bunny. It dawned on me that we skipped seeing Santa this past Christmas, too. It's all Noe's fault (for the record). My friend Laura mentioned that she was going to take her kids to Picture People for Spring pictures. That sounded like a better idea. I haven't taken the kids for a professional picture (other than school ones) since Father's Day, almost two years ago! I printed out my coupon and decided I would be very smart about it this time. I called ahead and made an appointment. I figured I would rather spend some money on some nice portraits of the kids, rather than the typical Easter Bunny picture.

As frustrated as I got with the boys, for taking turns goofing off, they managed to take a bunch that I loved. They put coupons on their websites to lure you in, and then they go and frame a bunch of pictures and make you want to buy them all. I know their ploy, and I was going to be strong. I would take my free picture and then get maybe one more at 20% off.

By the time we finished taking pictures, we were way past lunch time. Unfortunately, I had the great idea to let the kids walk into the mall (Matthew with his walker). The food court was on the opposite side of the mall as the Picture People. It took us forever to make it over there, but once they were settled with their food, they were doing great.

Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared to eat at the mall. I had not brought any snacks with me and I was starving. I tried to find the lesser of evils and ended up getting a Chipolte Chicken snack wrap from McDonald's. I have to admit, it was pretty good. Considering I haven't had fast food in well over a month, I think some kind of chemical reaction went off in my body. Right after we finished eating I opened my mouth and asked the kids if they wanted to go see the Easter Bunny. What was I thinking?! I tried to get myself out of it, but Leigha really wanted to see the Easter Bunny. I think this is her last year of believing in a bunch of things, so how could I say no.

The boys are new to the whole concept of waiting in line patiently. They were upset that they couldn't "see" the Easter Bunny from our spot in the line. I kept trying to explain to them that we were in line to go talk to the Easter Bunny. With the exception of Matthew running a few people over with his walker, and the other boys weaving in and out of line for a few minutes, they did great!

I was bummed that I didn't have my camera with me. I saw other people using professional type cameras when their children were on the Easter Bunny's lap. I bet they didn't pay the ridiculous charges for the photos that I did! My iPhone has not been known to take the greatest pictures, but I thought I would snap away a few while they were getting their time with the Easter Bunny. I wish I had taken the time to look at them, because I think mine were just as good as the nice and expensive ones I paid for!



I really wish I could hear what Matthew was saying to the Easter Bunny.



By the time I had paid for my pictures, the boys had eaten their lollipops and were running around. It was time to herd the crew back to the elevator, and head to the other side of the mall to pick out which of the portraits I wanted. The second the boys saw the store, Noah looked at me and said, "NOT AGAIN!" My sentiments exactly. I was ready to go home. They had no desire to sit down patiently, while Mom kept changing her mind.

I absolutely loved the trilogy that they had printed and framed, trying to entice me into spending hundreds of dollars. The only reason I didn't end up getting it is because my entire house, minus the kids' rooms, is white. The frame was white with a light blue matting. They offered to put it in a darker frame, but I didn't think it would look the same. After losing a few kids here and there, I finally decided on 5 sheets.

For my free picture, I could have gotten an 8x10 or 10x13. Of course I took the bigger one, it seemed like a no-brainer to me. Then I tried to scan it, should have known it was bigger than my scanner. I had to trim off a little bit of Matthew and Noah, but it wasn't too bad!











I just can't believe how big all four of them are getting. Time is flying by!

When I got home I remembered that we hadn't decorated the eggs yet. I quickly boiled a bunch of eggs and set them aside to cool. Last year Leigha and I decorated all of the eggs. This year I decided that the boys should get a chance to do it, too. Being the person I am, I was fearful of the mess they could make. However, they all did a great job and we only had a few splashes that didn't ruin any clothing.

First we took turns writing on each of the eggs. Then they took turns stirring the eggs in the different colors. Instead of having a nervous breakdown, I really enjoyed watching them have so much fun. They are all excited for the Easter Bunny to come visit our house.







They thought they did a great job, thumbs-up!





When I went upstairs to tuck the boys in, Matthew wouldn't let me pull the sheet and blanket up over him. He told me that he wanted the Easter Bunny to do it.

Grand Entrance!

Flat Stanley finally made his way back home. A few of the classes in 2nd grade started a Flat Stanley project months ago. Everytime they get something new in the mail, they meet together and the student presents what they received. They have a large map up down one wall and they pin the items/letters to where in the world they came from.

Leigha has been asking, over and over, when her Dad was going to send it back. I tried to explain to her that she probably sent Flat Stanley the furthest out of anyone in her class. Noe doesn't get too many days off, so it took him awhile to show Stanley around Tokyo.



Wow, was it worth the waiting! Noe made sure that Flat Stanley was able to see where he was going. How clever Noe was to put Stanley on the outside so he could see. He had the cast and crew of ZED sign a framed poster from the show. He put a lot of pictures and items from Japan in there as well. Leigha was very excited to read her dad's letter to her class and show them everything he sent.

Job well done, Dad!

Happy Birthday, Robert, Noah, and Matthew!

I still find it hard to believe that four years has passed. I remember parts of that morning so vividly, and other parts I have forgotten about. I am still amazed that I was even pregnant with three babies, and even more amazed that they were born at 27 weeks and are doing so well. I have to say it was the most memorable Easter!

The boys turned four years old on Friday, March 27, however, we had their party on Saturday. I made an executive decision not to celebrate their true birthday. I was working all day and would have only been around for a few hours with them. Having a cake, two nights in a row, seemed a bit overboard, too. I know that I won't ever get away with that again, but the boys did not have a clue!

For the past two years I have decided to pull some last minute party plans. I will admit that it's a lot harder not having Noe around to help me with these types of things. I get overwhelmed and then just ignore things until they creep up on me. This year I made a huge improvement. I ordered a bouncy house on Tuesday night and started inviting people Wednesday. I think that was better than last year!

So many things are different now. The boys totally understand birthdays. This was why I knew it was important to have a party for them. They automatically think party everytime someone has a birthday. I told them that we were going to have a huge bouncy house in the backyard and they were thrilled to find out it was Spiderman. The bouncy house was dropped off Saturday morning, and we had it until Sunday at 7 p.m. Robert and Noah love jumping around, but Matthew did not enjoy it at the last two parties. I figured that he might get more use out of it if he could jump before other kids arrived, or on Sunday.





My aunt, uncle, and cousin came over ahead of time. I don't get to see Jay too often, so it was a nice surprise. Robert, Noah, and Matthew has difficulty with his name. Matthew calls him "Jet", and it just makes me laugh everytime. I think it has become a game to them, they will call him everything except for Jay.



The kids were all over. Some were in the bouncy house, riding on the teeter-totter airplae, and some were inside playing with all of the toys in the playrooms. The kids ate pizza and then they all took off again to go play, that is except Matthew. He was bound and determined to eat cake, so much so that he wouldn't leave the table at all.



After a lot of effort, and some extra help from the other kids, the candles were finally out and everyone was ready to devour the cake.



The kids weren't the only ones having fun. I think Greg (Michele's husband) really liked Leigha's old Barbie laptop. I am sure he would would try to say that one of his daughters was playing with it, but do you see either of them nearby?



Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun, and the boys loved all of their fabulous gifts. One of the perks about having triplets and knowing other triplet families, you only need to have a few families over and you have a large party!

You ROCK, Mom!

Last month a girl in Leigha's class had a birthday party at the opening of the Jonas Brothers movie/concert. Ever since some of her friends went to this party, I have had Leigha begging me to take her to see the movie. It's just not that easy these days. I have a nanny taking care of the boys while I am at work, I don't have someone readily available outside of work. My aunt and uncle save me all of the time, so I hate to ask them to do more than they do already. However, once again, my aunt came to my rescue. Even though they had met us at the park the day before, she came over on Sunday to watch the boys while I surprised Leigha with a trip to the movies.

Leigha thought I was taking her to run errands with me. We drove down to the IMAX theaters and it wasn't until the movie started that she realized what we were seeing (at least she didn't admit to knowing). I think this smile says it all!



I, on the other hand, felt older than ever. The only songs I recognized were the ones from Camp Rock. Leigha LOVED it! Aunt Bobbie--thank you again for helping to bring that huge smile to her face!

New Things are Happening!

On March 21, I met Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Jerry at the park. It has been awhile since we had been there and I decided to try something new. Matthew has had a walker for a year and a half, but it's been in the garage for most of that time. Once he started walking, we just haven't used it. When we go out, those three boys are seatbelted into the wagon (or I would shoot myself). Last year I was told not to bother sending it anymore because he didn't use it at school either.

In February we had Matthew's annual IEP meeting. It turns out that Matthew has been using his walker to get from his classroom to the bus and he LOVES it! Normally he is in his chair, the chair he refuses to talk to people while sitting in it, to get to and from school. Matthew wants to walk to the bus just like his brothers (wish he felt that way about potty training!). I asked Matthew if he wanted to start using his walker and the smile on his face was HUGE! I dug out the walker and fought with it for awhile. Eventually I figured out how to resize it, but still can't figure out how to collapse it.

The park sounded like a great place to try it out! I asked Matthew if he wanted to take his walker to the park instead of riding in the wagon, he was all for it. We arrived at the park and off he went with his walker. For the most part, he was actually running with it! He was so thrilled to get all the way from the parking lot to the playground (far walk). Everything was going great, that is until he headed up the ramp. Part way up the ramp he stopped. I think it was harder for him to get up the ramp with the walker than walking. He headed back down and made his way over to the park bench and sat next to Uncle Jerry. He refused to play. I told him he didn't have to use the walker once he was at the playground. The stubborn boy that he is, he wasn't going to leave his walker. I was starting to have second thoughts about whether or not the walker was a great idea. He was now relying on it more than he needed to.

Noah surprised me with his wall climbing skills. I know most boys climb all over everything, but mine has always been very timid when it came to playground equipment. I was thrilled to see Noah climbing up the rock wall. He was proud of himself, as he should be!



Matthew eventually got off the bench, grabbed his walker, and headed out for the equipment. He would leave his walker for a few minutes at a time to play. After awhile he left the walker and just started running around and playing.







Noah and Robert, after a lot of help from Aunt Bobbie, gained enough courage to walk along the posts by themselves. Matthew was enjoying walking alongside of Aunt Bobbie.



Matthew also climbed up the little wall on his own. Typically he will go up the ramp or use stairs only to get on the equipment. He was bound and determined to do a lot of new things that day.





Leigha spent most of the time on the swings. She is still trying to learn how to pump herself, but gives up way too easily. She just wants someone to push her higher and higher. Thankfully, Uncle Jerry was there to help her out. I think she was going high enough now!



Noah decided that he was ready to conquer the bigger rock wall. He is turning out to be my little Spiderman.



This frustrated Leigha because she has not been able to do that one yet. Not to be outdone by her little brother, she worked hard at it until she was at the top, too!





ALL of the kids went down the tallest of the slides. It was pretty amazing to watch how far they have come. I can't wait for Noe to take them to the park for the first time and just watch them go. We ended our visit on the swings, and they couldn't have been any happier!





When we got back to the house we had lunch and then headed outside to teach Leigha how to ride a bike without training wheels. It was slow going, but she worked on it for about an hour. She is really too big for her bike so I can't imagine that it's easy to learn how to balance when your knees are coming up to your chest.

The entire time we were out there, the boys were running up and down the sidewalk getting dirtier than I have seen them in a long time. That's when my sanity left me. I decided that this would be the perfect time to cut the boys' hair! Stay tuned to see what a "great" job I did!

St. Patrick's Day Parade (Just a little late)

Once again, I am falling further and further behind. I have given up my Diet Coke and I am going to use that as my excuse as to why I can't stay up at night to blog anymore. I am bound and determined to catch up soon.

On Saturday, March 14, we were roped into walking in the St. Patrick's Day parade in Henderson. We walked two years ago, and I really had no desire to do it again. We literally stood on a side street for an hour and a half before it was our turn. It seems we were one of the last to go, so we also missed all of the fun things to see.

This year I found out that the multiples group was going to be the 10th group to walk. That sounded so much better. Michele told me she bought me a hat, and she saw the boys in green shirts on my blog, and for that reason I had no excuse not to go. Wouldn't you know it, she forgot to bring my hat! Michele always gives me something to look forward to with triplets. Her trio is one year older than mine, and look how she gets through the parade. One of the kids drives the others around in a motor scooter, she doesn't do ANYTHING!



All of the triplet moms were there in force! Joselle can't stand to be outdone. I have to say I think they were the cutest dressed of the triplets there. I could not believe how well her daughter behaved!



Laura and Don with their boys.



I think she enjoyed waving to the people this year. The boys were not the happiest of campers during the parade. Noah kept yelling, "MOMMMMMMMMMM" because he wanted to go to the parade. Since we were towards the beginning, we were able to watch some of the parade when we were finished. Leigha saw some of her friends from school and we sat near them and Laura's family. Aunt Bobbie saved the day and let the boys out of the wagon that they LOVE so much.



The highlight of the parade was when Star Wars headed our way! The boys have recently been watching Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. The smiles on their faces were priceless!





After the parade we headed for McDonald's. The kids were thrilled to find out that they were going to get to play in the play area. I was amazed to see Robert and Noah climb all the way to the top. Matthew was pretty high up there, too.

N-O-A-H

For the longest time, Noah has been spelling his name. For the past year he has been putting the letters together in the bath. Noah even gets upset because he attempts to spell Matthew's and Robert's names, but we don't have double letters in the bath.

However, I think the pride he felt when he wrote it for me was written all over his face!



February 21, 2009