Leigha & the Triplets

May 2010

2011-06-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

May started out with a BANG! Noah was running to use the restroom, slipped on a wet floor, and smashed the side of his eye into the bath tub. It was a Wednesday night and Noe was at work. Lucky ME! I was pretty sure that a butterfly bandage was not going to do the trick, what do you think?

It didn't take the doctor more than 1 second to say that there was a definite need for stitches. Let's just say he wasn't happy about it until it was over and he got to enjoy his ice cream!

Noah was the first of my kids to get stitches. I guess I have been lucky for 9 years!

The highlight of the month was my trip to Salt Lake City. I love hanging out with my friends! We all indulged in tasty treats, great conversations, and fun times.

Salt Lake City is a beautiful city and I would love to live there. I love that I can be enjoying the beautiful weather, and within a few minutes I can be freezing my butt off!

The absolute BEST part of the trip was being able to watch a family reunite. After 18 LONG years, Rachell was reunited with her daughter that she had given up for adoption. We were so lucky to be able to share this wonderful experience with their family! It was a night I will never forget. Talk about love filling a room, both from the adopted and birth families!

At the end of the month, my aunt and uncle took the family on the Boulder City train! The kids loved it!

Tap Tap Tap

2011-06-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

Does anyone still visit here? Have you given up all hope that I would finally get my act together and post? Get ready for a year's worth of posts in the next two weeks!

April 2010

2010-09-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

I have to say, this was my favorite trip yet!

In April, I flew to Salt Lake City to spend the weekend with some of my best friends. Oh, I also had to run 13.1 miles to get to see them! It was time for the Salt Lake City Half Marathon. Originally I had wanted to make this my first full marathon, but my knees were dictating otherwise after my back-to-back Vegas and Phoenix races. I eventually gave in and followed my Physical Therapist's advice. I am so happy I did, that was my favorite race yet!

The morning after I arrived, I met up with a camera crew at Rubio's to be on their local news. I had nominated my friend Rachel for their Deliver a Dream contest. Rachel and her daughter Lucy were one of the three finalists.

That night was our traditional trip to Spoon Me with my wonderful friends. We came from Las Vegas, Michigan, and Minnesota, to hang with our SLC friends and have some delicious fro-yo!

Jana, Me, Ronai, Lauri, Suzanne, Tonya, and Rachel

The Salt Lake City Marathon (we did the half) was just absolutely amazing! I can't even begin to describe how wonderful this event/day turned out to be. Rachel and her family had a lot of publicity ahead of time, because they were all running together. It was their daughter Leah's first time running a half marathon and then they received special permission to push Lucy in the jogging stroller.

Most of our group separated into smaller groups or individuals during the run, but we heard the crowd cheering on "Team Coleman: Strong Enough!" I think that is why this event was so amazing. We all had bibs on the back of our shirts, to support the Coleman family. It was also the first race where I felt great during and after. I remember walking back to the car and jumping up on planter and back down, and they were pretty big ones. I was joking and saying, "I can jump up, I can jump down." That was a far cry from what we looked like after the Vegas Half Marathon!

It was definitely my best race! Not only did I make a new PR (personal record) but I smashed my goal time of under 2 hours. I finished in 1:55. The course was wonderful, well, until we turned on to State Street and looked UP ahead! I could have done without that hill at the end of the race.

Rachel and I after the race!

...and we were definitely strong enough!

Even Hopkins came to celebrate with us!

I enjoyed this race (and the entire weekend) so much that I went home and signed up to run the full marathon in Salt Lake City next year! BRING IT!

March 2010

2010-08-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

In March, I finally broke out the boys' new bikes to give them a go. They were VERY apprehensive. They loved the safety and familiarity of their trikes. After a little bit of time, they seemed to get the hang of it. Robert was really concentrating hard!

Noah was a bit more frightened of the bike at first, but it didn't take him long to get going. They found out that it was much easier to pedal going down the hill than going up the hill.

We got rid of two of the trikes, but kept one for Matthew. He doesn't quite reach the pedals on his new bike, and he definitely wasn't ready to be moving on his own. He did like to pose, though! We won't give up, eventually he will get a bit taller and be able to pedal the bike on his own.

For the boys' birthday, we rented another bouncy house and invited their friends over. It had been a long time since they had seen any them!

My aunt and uncle were over and helping out as usual. I truly don't know what I would do without them. They helped us set up everything and kept the kids entertained as we prepared for the party.

If there is one thing I have learned about having triplets, it's that there is no such thing as just have a few kids over. Most of their friends come in sets of 3. There were just a handful of families over, yet it looks like we had a ton!

Sixteen of the kids came from the five of us!

The boys were given their choice of cakes. I asked them if they each wanted their own, but they all wanted to share one of the big Costco cakes. Works for me!

I think the boys loved their birthday and their birthday party. There wasn't a sad face around!

The month ended with Leigha getting her new haircut! She wanted it cut shorter again and she wanted bangs. Cute!

February 2010

2010-08-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

Leigha turned 9 years old on February 16, and I still find that hard to believe. My parents came to visit the day after her birthday, so we did some delayed celebrating. I told her it's better that way, I think she ended up getting to celebrate her birthday on 3 different days. How can you beat that?

For anyone that knows my dad, I found this picture hysterical. It's not every day that you see my dad jump on a teeter totter!

Leigha had a pseudo slumber party this year. We had all of the girls come dressed in their pajamas and they had pillows. We had another bouncy house for the weekend and the girls ended up having a pillow fight in there. They painted their nails, had pizza, cake, cookies, and played games.

We always have two desserts for her birthday parties. Leigha doesn't care for cake, so she gets a cookie pie and a cake for her friends.

I think all of the girls had a great time!

Before my parents left, we took a trip to see the Hoover Dam. We have driven over it many times, but we had never stopped to walk across it with the kids.

We checked out the progress that was made on the bypass bridge. I do not envy the people who work on bridges like that!

I hate that their visit was over so fast, but happy that we had those few days together!

January 2010

2010-08-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

The New Year started off on the right note. We rang in the New Year together at home. Matthew didn't mind napping with Smokey the next day!

In January the weather in Vegas can be hit and miss. Thankfully, we had some beautiful weather and we decided to take advantage of it by taking the kids to the park to play some ball and exercise. We already knew that Leigha was not a big fan of soccer, so she took off for the slide while the boys kicked the ball around with us.

Watching the boys try to mimic their dad's workout was hysterical!

I will not implicate anyone in particular, but this bus just happened to show up at my house and my kids just happened to take turns at the driver's wheel. It made their day!

Noah

Matthew

Robert

The following weekend was my Phoenix Rock N Roll Half Marathon. I did not intend to run this race because a group of my friends and I were going to do the Surf City Half Marathon 3 weeks later. However, I won a free entry when I was at the Disneyland Half Marathon. For those of you who know me, know that I can't pass up a free deal!

I bought my tickets for $69 round-trip and my friend Holly set me up in a beautiful hotel by the college. It was perfect! Well, except for the actual race. I totally chose the wrong clothing to wear. Instead of wearing a tank top with my throw-away jacket, I wore a long sleeve shirt under my throw-away. I was overheated by the mile 1 marker. Not good. I drank so much water the day before, but I still felt dehydrated as ever. Normally I look for the mile markers, but this time I was just desperate for a water station. I also made the mistake of giving up on the bathroom line after a half hour. My coral was about to go and I decided to hold off. HUGE MISTAKE! I couldn't find a port-a-potty at all for the first few miles. I finally saw a restroom in a park, across the field, and decided to just go for it. Next time I realized it would have been better for me to miss my coral start since the timing chip didn't go into effect until after I crossed the line. Live and learn. I was definitely in a negative mindset for this race and finished a minute slower than my first race. On the positive side, I got to catch up with my friend, meet her kids, and earn TWO medals. That's right--I got one medal for completing the race and an extra medal for doing the Desert Double Down (two Rock n Roll desert races in 6 weeks). It's all about the bling!

It was very bizarre to be all alone at a hotel for two days. I didn't really have anywhere to be, other than the expo and the race. Holly picked me up on Saturday evening and we went out to dinner. We had fun catching up on each other's lives, and filling in the gaps from when Holly and Melissa up and SPLIT right before our show opened in London! CRAZY GIRLS! On Sunday, after the race, I got to meet her two little ones. They were absolutely adorable, and had Holly wrapped around their little fingers. Holly is no match for them! PERFECT! Even though it was kind of relaxing just to hang out at my hotel room, watching infomercials (dangerous), it was nice to go home the next morning and see what Leigha made for me. I missed them and I think they missed me!

Towards the end of the month I got to surprise the kids with something special. I took them to see Disney on Ice. It's always kind of hard for me to watch, as I really do miss skating, but it is getting easier and easier with each passing year. I miss some parts of touring, but there are many things I don't miss.

The kids loved it, especially the boys when they saw all of their favorite cars.

We all had a great time!

December 2009

2010-08-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

I am the queen of procrastination (not that anyone didn't know that already)! I waited until December 24 to take the kids to see Santa. The kids waited patiently in line to see him. I think they knew that they better behave so that Santa would be visiting them that night!

I think the kids have been very good this year, well, for the most part!

Christmas morning was very fun! I just never imagined that I would enjoy watching other people open gifts more than getting one. The looks on the kids' faces was enough to fill my heart. The bed-head was pretty dang cute, too!

I am sorry, Santa, but Mom and Dad brought the most rockin' gift for Leigha this year. She had been begging for a DSi, but I kept telling her no because she just got the DS for Christmas the year before. Considering she didn't really have anything big on her wishlist, I decided we would surprise her.

The boys loved all of their gifts, but I think these might have been the most dangerous toy they could have received. With their shadowy past, they not have weapons handed to them. It's all about killing each other now, I am so proud!?

Cliff Notes

2010-08-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest downfalls is getting behind in my blog. Once I am behind I find myself truly overwhelmed. I could just post what's going on now and go back later and fill in gaps, but I have this issue that it must be in the correct order.

This summer my main "to do" list included: scanning old photos from my parents (check), cleaning out closets (check), organizing the boys' triplet clothes (just a bit of a stroke on that one), and catching back up on my blog. I have 1.5 weeks left to get this all accomplished. So here I go, the cliff note version of the past 9 months!

Vegas Rock n' Roll

2010-05-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

December 6, 2009

I was so excited for the Vegas Rock n' Roll Half Marathon! I had friends flying and driving in from Oklahoma, California, and Utah. For some of them, it was their first half marathon. After we went to the expo on Saturday, we all went out for Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. Later that evening we met again for dinner at PF Changs. We made our plan for most of us to meet at my friends' hotel at 4:30 a.m. I knew parking would be a bear the morning of the race.

I think I made it to bed around 1:30 a.m. and my alarm was set for 3:30 a.m. I really don't recommend that little amount of sleep before a race. Unfortunately, I do this quite often. I made it to their hotel and we hung out as everyone got ready.

Rachel and I sporting our Athleta Twist Tops

We all had a little bit of a breakfast, stashed our belts with some "fuel", and we were ready to go!

Eric, Aaron, Joe, Leanna, Rachel, and Cathy

I have to admit, that was a pretty miserable morning. It was freezing outside, it was overcast, and it was NOT fun! Thanks to Joe and Leanna, my hands stayed warm for awhile because they brought hand warmers. I never would have thought about that. Jackie was at a different hotel on the strip, so we never caught up with them that morning. The rest of us huddled around our starting corrals.

Once our corrals started, I loved the first 6-7 miles of the race. I was running a great pace and felt great. Unfortunately, around mile 8-9 I began experiencing some sever stomach cramping. I started to think that my choice of food at Buffalo Wild Wings was not my best idea. I had to stop and walk from time to time until the feeling would pass. On the way back towards Mandalay Bay I started feeling better. I could see the hotel and I thought the end was near. Unfortunately, you can see that hotel from MILES away! It's a huge tease to be able to see the finish line, but be so far from it at the same time.

My goal for this race was to finish in under 2 hours, but I pretty much knew that was shot since I had to walk for a bit. I ended up finishing in 2:03. Even though it was not my goal, I made a personal record. I shaved off about 3 minutes from my first race at Disneyland. I was still proud of my run!

My friends and I picked a spot to meet at after the race. Wouldn't you know they had taken it down by the time we finished?! Eric, Aaron, Rachel, and I met and decided that we could not wait for Joe and Leanna (SORRY GUYS!). We were freezing, our bodies were aching, and there were two kids waiting for us back at the hotel. That's our excuse and I am sticking to it.

There has never been a funnier sight, than watching the four of us wobble back to the hotel. Every curb, even if it was just 4 inches tall, was like climbing a mountain. I am not too sure why I hurt so much, but Rachel and Aaron had a GREAT excuse---something along the lines of not training?!

Even though the weather wasn't ideal, and we were all in some pain, I loved having my friends there!

Kids Rock Las Vegas

2010-05-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

December 5, 2009

After Disneyland, Leigha was excited to sign up for another race. Her next opportunity was the Las Vegas Rock n Roll Kids' Marathon. Leigha's race would be 1 mile. That was A LOT for Leigha to run. The funny thing is that she never wants to run at school, only for the races.

Unfortunately, it was very windy and cold that morning. Leigha was a trooper and was excited for her race.

I asked someone how many times around the track the kids had to run, and I was told it was a little less than 4 laps. I explained to Leigha that she would have to run around 3 full laps and then head towards the finish line.

As she was circling the track, I counted her laps for her. She definitely struggled with the distance and the weather, but she was a trooper and kept going. There were kids who were a lot faster than her, and then there were kids who were slower than she was. Unfortunately, the race officials were not taking into consideration the different speeds of the kids. After a few of the kids completed their 3rd lap, they started sending them over to the end shoots. I told one of the volunteers that some of the kids were still a lap behind the other kids, but he didn't seem to care. As Leigha came around the backside, I told her to go around the track one more time since. I wanted her to complete the mile that she had intended on running. I am not sure if that was a mistake on my part or not. I was the last parent to send their kid around again. This frustrated Leigha and I could tell immediately. All of the kids who had been behind her, were now finished. She was now in last place and I think that just made her want to stop and walk. That's when Ronald McDonald decided to run out on the track and join her for her last part of her run!

It was a perfect ending to a frustrating race for her. I explained what had happened, but she was still not too pleased that I made her run that extra lap. I think she was more upset that she was the last person to cross the finish line, but I told her that I was proud of her for completing what she started and the entire race!

As cold as she was, she LOVED the race!

I was VERY proud of her!

After her race, we headed over to the Expo to meet up with some of my friends. Leigha and I had some fun looking at all of the different booths, collecting samples, and getting our picture taken at the finish line. (The time on the clock fascinated me later, it was within seconds of my actual time there.)

Later that evening, all of my friends from out of town, got together for dinner at PF Changs. Leigha was thrilled to be included. We were all excited for the upcoming race.

The Silverman

2010-02-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

November 8, 2009

Two of my friends were doing the Silverman race here in Vegas. This is a brutal course, one of the toughest I heard. Jen is an absolute powerhouse. She has been doing different triathlons, half marathons, and full marathons. Ron, my friend Julie's husband and my PT, was doing his first half triathlon (he has done sprints in the past). Leigha and I met up with our friends on the later part of the bike trail to cheer them on. Unfortunately, we missed Jen. She must have passed by that point right before we got there.

I absolutely LOVED the signs my friends made. They were hysterical, especially Julie's.

Ron looked great when he came by! His brother had the music blaring and we cheered him on as he passed us. The rest of the group went on to watch his run. Leigha and I headed home to get the boys ready. We were going to meet them at the finish line.

The kids had a blast running around with the other kids there. They all helped cheer for Ron as he came towards the finish line.

He accomplished something HUGE that day! The swimming part scares the heck out of me, but maybe that will be me some day.

Way to go, Ron!

My New Car

2010-02-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

On October 26, 2009, I picked up my new car. Well, actually it's a bike, but it sure felt like I was buying a car! A have a bunch of friends who ride and it made me wish I had a bike. I haven't really ridden a bike since college.

When it comes to shopping for things like this, I hate to go cheaper and then regret that decision and have to buy a nicer one on top of the cheap one. So why not just jump in and get a nice bike? (Other than the fact that it cost a small fortune.)

I WILL love riding my new bike. Even if I don't want to, I WILL! That was my mindset when I bought it. Luckily, I love it!

The NEVER Ending Halloween Season

2010-02-10T07:00:00.001-08:00

Halloween Season

It used to be that Halloween was a one day event, maybe two if it fell on a weekend. These days it seems to never end. Our Halloween SEASON started on October 23. Our first event was Trunk-or-Treating.

The kids were able to walk around the decorated vehicles and get a ton of candy. I would have LOVED this as a kid, getting so much candy and hardly going anywhere (I love it as an adult, too, since I get to go through their candy).

I am not creative enough, nor do I have the time, to decorate like some of the parents do. Some of them really go all out for Halloween. I would love to see what their houses look like!

Leigha ran into her best friend Hannah. I really like Hannah and am very thankful that they became friends last year. Unfortunately, they don't get to hang out as often since we don't live near the school. That is one thing that stinks about having her at my school instead of the one we are zoned for.

The best part about this event was that Noe was able to join us! Typically he is working during our "season". This year it just happened to fall on his day off.

Our 2nd event was on October 24, 2009. Our friends, Don and Laura, had a Halloween party at their house. We haven't seen much of them in the last year, so it was nice to go over and hang out with everyone.

Laura and Don did a great job with the decorations. There was no one part of the whole downstairs and backyard that wasn't decorated. I can't imagine all of the hard work that went into cutting all of the bats out!

Our friends, the Williams, came dressed up as Yo Gabba Gabba! That used to be one of the boys' favorite shows (creepy).

I think my kids were in heaven on their swingset. I wish we could talk Noe into one of these, but it would seriously take up most of our backyard I think.

It was a great evening!

Next on the calendar was our school Halloween parade/party. Wouldn't you think they could have timed it the same day as the Trunk or Treat? Of course not! At least everyone is getting a lot of use out of their costumes this year. The second grade team, in my great room, went as Sesame Street characters.

In my class, we decorated pumpkin cookies. I had so many left over that I brought them home for the kids to make. Yes, it pained me to watch them make a mess, but they loved it!

Matthew

Leigha

Noah

It was finally Halloween! When I broke the news to Robert, I don't think he was too happy. It has to end eventually. Not EVERY holiday goes on for two full weeks!

Let the FUN (and Pain) Begin!

2010-02-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

September 6, 2009

After the race, we all came back to the hotel and had brunch. It was then time to hit the hot tub! Leigha was playing with Alexee in the pool, so I wasn't being rushed to get ready. After a quick shower, we were off to Disneyland with the Johnsons. You would think that the park would be packed, considering it was a holiday weekend. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of people there. I guess when you have 18,000 people there for a race, there is not a lot of room for other people. Plus, the runners who do not have kids probably avoided the park afterwards (I know I wanted to).

It's been a long time since I have been on rides with Leigha (her sisters took her in Japan). When we got in the cars, I felt a little nauseous thinking about her turning 16. Stay on the streets, she will be on the sidewalks!

We went on a bunch of roller coasters, rides, and walked through the area of the future. WAY too much walking for me, although it was fun to pick out all the runners. They were the ones grabbing on to the railings for dear life, as they climbed and descended the stairs.

We eventually headed over to California Adventure. I never realized they were literally attached to each other.

We stayed until after dark and then headed back to the hotel. It was a great (and tiring) day, and the perfect way to end a fabulous weekend!

You Look GREAT for Having TRIPLETS!

2010-02-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

Over the past five years, my weight has gone up and down. I lost all of my pregnancy weight plus 15 extra pounds by the time the boys were 6 months old. To top it off, I was eating McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese sandwiches all the time. I was always on the go. For the first few months the drive-thru was my friend. I went back to work after my 6 weeks of maternity leave. I raced between school and the hospital and home. Who had time to make food?

Once the boys were home, I was caring for three babies, a four year old, and working full time. There was no time for rest. When the boys were about 14 months old, I switched them from breast milk to regular milk. Unfortunately, my eating habits were the same. My body could handle the calories I was consuming when I was pumping 100+ ounces of milk a day. When I stopped, the pounds started creeping back up.

Last Christmas I hit my all time high weight. I wasn't happy with myself, but I wasn't doing anything about it either. One of my friends had started running the year before and had dropped a bunch of weight. She was running half marathons and it intrigued me. I decided to jump on the treadmill and start working out.

In January of 2009 I entered a 5k race with a group of my friends from school. I had been running 2-3 miles on the treadmill a few times and thought that this would be an easy race. Boy was I wrong! Running on a treadmill is way different than running on the streets. At the end of the race I was dizzy and ready to pass out. I remember looking up at my friends and telling them that I didn't think there was any way I could ever run a half marathon with them. It just seemed so inconceivable. I had never been so out of shape and I was just not happy with myself.

I can't even count how many times I have heard people tell me, "You look great for having triplets!" It's frustrating. To me I felt like people were saying I was allowed to be heavier because I had three kids at the same time, certainly not that I looked great. I was 22 lbs heavier from what I was AFTER having the boys.

A friend of mine had recently started a fitness kick so that she could be stronger for her daughter (read about Rachel Coleman and Lucy Coleman). Things started clicking in my mind. I started working out and watching what I ate. After a little over three months, I had lost 20 lbs. I won't say it was easy at first. I literally slept in my workout clothes so that I wouldn't talk myself out of working out in the morning when the alarm clock went off.

In may I committed myself to the Disneyland Half Marathon, over Labor Day weekend. That was the motivation I needed to keep running. If I didn't run, I would pay for it when it was time for the race. For the month I spent at my parents' house, I was able to get out three days a week and run. It was great! By the time I got home, Noe returned from Japan so that I could continue to run outdoors. I was ready to run my first half marathon!

On September 5, after Leigha's race, my friends and I headed over to the Expo to get every ones' packets. It was an exciting time for me!

It was a lot of fun being with a group of friends.

We had a great dinner at Olive Garden and then headed back to the hotel for the night. I felt like a little kid, getting all of my clothes and running gear ready for the morning.

The race was at 6 a.m. and we were planning on leaving around 5 a.m. to line up in our corrals. I loved the fact that we could walk to the start line from our hotel, it made it a lot less stressful. We were all excited and ready to go!

Since this was my first marathon, I was in the last corral. I felt a bit overwhelmed with how many people were there.

I was frustrated in the beginning of the race with the sardine effect of runners. I was back with a lot of people who were walking, socializing 5 people wide, etc. I was used to running on my own, not trying to dart between people. When Shalis pointed out different parts of Disneyland that we ran through, I was clueless. The only parts I recognized were the curbs and the sidewalks. That's were my eyes were until we exited the park. I would be running full speed and then have to basically stop because there was no where to go. Luckily, we were only in the park for a mile or two before exiting to the streets.

During my training I had learned how to drink from my water bottle without stopping. I was happy that I didn't have to carry my water bottle during the race, but I wasn't thinking too clearly when I thought that I could drink from a pixie cup while running. That didn't work out too well, I think I was wearing more than I had drank. Wouldn't you know that one of the best photographs they took of me was right after that water station. You might think that was a picture taken towards the end of the race and I was sweating, but no, that was just my first experience running through a water station.

I was extremely happy to see the finish line! I finished my first half marathon with a time of 2:06:18. (The time on the clock was from the start of the first corral.)

I will admit it, this time I am just plain sweaty!

Many thanks to my friends who kept me motivated throughout the year. I couldn't have done it without them, especially Ron. Ron is Julie's husband and my PT that has helped me numerous times with my injuries. Ron and Julie were the ones that got me motivated to start doing the races and much more.

Front row: Julie, Cathy, Shalis, and Joni
Back row: Ron, Wendy, Matt, and Chris

I am proud of myself for making the effort to get in shape this year. However, this is just the beginning. I am hooked!

First Day of School

2010-02-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

August 24, 2009

Noe was the only one not getting ready for his first day of school! It's hard to believe that Leigha was starting the 3rd grade, I was starting 2nd grade, and the boys were starting their second year of pre-school. Time sure is flying by!

The hard part about being a teacher is that I miss out on some of the parent moments. Noe did a great job of capturing the boys' pictures since they were in the afternoon kinder class.

On the other hand, being a teacher means that I get to sneak into the classroom and take pictures when other parents can't!

Leigha and Joni (although this year she is Mrs. Ross)

My little girl is growing up!

Leigha Takes on Disneyland

2010-02-06T22:29:00.000-08:00

September 4-5, 2009

On Friday, Leigha and I left school early to head to California for Leigha's first race. This was a big deal for Leigha. She does not typically like to run, but I think she really wanted to when she found out that her friend Alexee was going to be running. OK, the fact that the race was at Disneyland probably helped, too.

We had to leave school early on Friday so that we could pick up Leigha's race packet that night. Leigha and I had a lot of fun walking around our first expo. Leigha wanted to find EVERY freebie (yes, she's my daughter).

Although Leigha has never been a big fan of running, but she was genuinely excited to get her bib and t-shirt.

I am not sure what part was more exciting for Leigha, the race or the fact that we were away for the weekend. It's not very often that we can do something alone.

Saturday morning was Leigha's and Alexee's race. They seemed a bit nervous, but I think they were more excited to get to their race.

Just walking through the park was exciting. There were so many kids there, and you could feel the excitement as we walked through the park to find the girls' starting line. The race was 400 yards for their age group. We said goodbye to the girls and then went to cheer them on closer to the finish line. It was so fun to watch her smile shine when she heard us cheering for her!

I was so proud of Leigha for running in the race. This was definitely outside of her comfort zone. She was proud of herself and happy to show-off her new medal.

How many kids get to share this moment with their teacher? I love the fact that my friend is her teacher. Not only was her 3rd grade teacher there, but Alexee's mom was her 2nd grade teacher. LOVE it!

Proud Mom and Leigha

The group of friends that we went with were awesome. Everyone got up early to go support the girls in their race.

Summer Fun

2010-02-06T19:38:00.000-08:00

August 14,2009

Right before school started, I packed up the kids and headed to Utah to meet up with some friends. Our first stop was to visit the Schafers. We haven't seen much of each other since she moved 5 years ago. It was great to see the whole family again!

Amy and Brian had a trampoline burried in their backyard. The kids loved it! I had never seen this before, and thought that it was the smartest and safest way to have a trampoline. If the ground wasn't so hard here, I would be tempted to do the same thing.

After playing around at the house, we headed out to Pirate Island for some pizza and fun. I wish they had this type of place in Vegas, much more fun than Chuck E. Cheese. We ate in our own little cove and then the kids took off to play games.

Even though our visit was short, we had a lot of fun hanging out together.

For the rest of the weekend, we hung out with my friend Tonya and her family. It was a great combo of doing absolutely nothing and hanging out at the pool. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Unfortunately, Leigha also thought it would be a lot of fun to have a baby sister. I do blame Tonya for that!

Mother-Daughter Date

2010-01-03T00:07:00.000-08:00

July 31, 2009

Leigha and I were able to enjoy some time together when the boys returned to school this summer. We were able to go to the pool, play outside, or just hang around and wait for her to wake up. Occasionally, we were even able to slip out of the house when the boys were home.

One special day I took Leigha out to lunch at Olive Garden.

After lunch I surprised her with a trip to King Putt! This was definitely a new experience for me. First of all, I am not used to playing miniature golf indoors. I can only think of one other place that I have seen an indoor miniature golf course. Second, this one was in Black Light. We had a blast!

Now that we know about the black lights, we will definitely dress more appropriately next time! I couldn't think of a better way to end our day together than to stop at Red Mango for dessert.

Look at ME!

2010-01-02T23:46:00.000-08:00

July 29, 2009

When we returned from North Carolina, I took my camera back in to Best Buy. I had learned a very valuable lesson when my first Rebel XS took a nose dive. The first time my XTi had broken, I found out that there is no one local to fix a SLR camera. You have to send it in to Canon. The minimum to fix a camera is $200. OUCH! When it broke for the second time (different issue), I decided it was not worth sinking another $200 into it. I decided to upgrade to the Canon Rebel XSi. As I was checking out, the lady offered me an accidental insurance policy. Hmmm, accident, a word that flies around my house on a daily basis. I asked her exactly what was covered and she told me the most beautiful words I have ever heard. My camera could be puked on, peed on, microwaved, ran over, etc. As long as I had the pieces (not stolen or lost) they would replace the camera for me. How much would this cost? Less than it would cost me to send the camera into Canon ONE time. SOLD!

Unfortunately, it takes a week to two weeks for Canon to look at a camera and send it back. When I called Best Buy to check on the status, they told me to come in and pick out a new camera. I guess my camera wasn't worth fixing! I found out that I didn't have to take the same exact camera that I had. They told me that I was able to spend the same amount of money that I had on my camera. The price of my camera had gone down since I bought it, and there was a new camera released. The wheels started turning. Did I need the newest one? No. That wasn't going to stop me from looking at it. The Canon T1i had larger mp and best of all, it had HD VIDEO!! I know that might not sound great to many of you, but SLR cameras don't normally have video. Video was relatively new still. The incredible part--it would only cost me an additional $80 to get this camera.

I had fun testing it out on the kids. It's just too bad I have the inability to sit down and read an instruction book. I could just imagine how good of pictures I could take if I actually took the time and energy to learn how to use the camera properly!

I definitely LOVE my new camera!

Summertime Fun!

2010-01-02T23:35:00.000-08:00

July 25, 2009

It's always fun when Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Jerry come for a visit. This day was no different!

My neighbors went out of town for a week and left me their big slide/pool to use while they were gone. The kids absolutely LOVED it, well, except Matthew. Matthew still has no desire to be in water. I don't think the big slide looked any more appealing.

The kids stayed out there for a long time. Long enough to flood my grass and me to remember why I would not want to own one of these myself. What a mess--but a fun one!

Welcome Home!

2010-01-02T23:23:00.001-08:00

July 13, 2009

After 18 very LONG months, Noe was coming home! We arrived home on Saturday, and Noe came home on Monday. Just enough time for us to get all of our stuff put away and get ready for his homecoming. Unfortunately, my camera broke on the last day of our car trip. We had to use Leigha's camera to take pictures. It's just too bad we didn't realize that she had some settings WAY off!

While the boys were in school, we headed out to pick up some balloons and banners for Noe's homecoming. As soon as we were back home, we got to work!

The boys came home from school, had lunch, and then it was time for me to go get Noe from the airport. I surprised him a bit myself. I never really told him that I had lost 20 lbs in the last 6 months since I had seen him. That was fun!

When we got home, the kids were all ready to welcome home their daddy in unison. However, the second they saw Noe they all clammed up. They were just happy to have Daddy home again!

Small Details

2010-01-02T23:08:00.000-08:00

July 10, 2009

Every time we drive back and forth between Las Vegas and NC I want so badly to drop in on some of my friends who live along the way. Unfortunately, I never seem to have the right timing! I was trying to meet up with my friend Meg, but we arrived towards her area during her son's swim practice. As much as I would have loved to wait around (she lived an hour off of the highway), we have a FULL day of driving each day. There is not a lot of spare time for anything. I swear I will figure out a way to see her next summer.

On the bright side, we hit Oklahoma City right around lunch time. This meant that I was able to meet up with my friend Leanna! She jumped in her car and we met at a country bar/restaurant. I will forgive her for that, some day. We had a wonderful lunch, we got to play with her new iPhone, and the kids enjoyed a much needed hour out of the car. It was so nice to meet Leanna. Yes, that's correct, this was Leanna's and my first time meeting each other "In Real Life". Leanna and I "met" each other through one of our biggest passions, Signing Time. It felt like we had known each other forever.

Goodbyes

2010-01-02T23:03:00.000-08:00

July 9, 2009

Remember how we were going to do the group photo around the pond and then photoshop my brother in? It really failed when we decided to do our photo the day we left. It was raining! Our lesson has been learned (hopefully) and next time we will get the group photo first.

After a month of vacation, it was time to get back on the road and head home. I love that my mom drives with us, I don't have to say goodbye--yet.

Off to the Pound!

2010-01-02T20:18:00.000-08:00

July 7, 2009

Leigha and I were supposed to go visit my friend Pam the week before, but due to all of the illnesses, we had to put it off. It was probably a good thing because it hit their house, too. If I remember right, one of them had the Swine Flu and one had the Plague. It was something like that, right Pam? All self-diagnosed, of course. Thankfully there was a miracle, and they got better FAST.

Unfortunately, our trip out to Charlotte had to be shortened. We make it a day trip instead of an overnight one. I was just happy that it wasn't cancelled all together. Another one of our friends, Carey, was able to join us, too.

For the most of the afternoon, the kids ran around outside, played on the swing set, etc. There were times that I was outside with one kid while the others ran around inside. You just never know what is going to happen when they are left unsupervised (by me). I guess I thought I only had to worry about my kids. I was wrong, I should have worried about PAM!Look at what she did to my poor children.

Every time I turned around, there was another child in there. I didn't know Pam ran a dog pound!

Doesn't she look guilty?

It was great to see the girls again, I just wish it could be more often. It's hard to believe we have known each other for 9 years now.

It's even harder to believe that our little babies are so grown up now!

Good times with great friends!

BIG Helpers!

2009-12-27T22:57:00.000-08:00

July 6, 2009

One of my goals, while at my parents' house, was to reorganize their kitchen cabinets. I LOVE to organize other peoples' houses, I just can't seem to do it at MY house!

Some of the cabinets had broken shelves, so I emptied them and cleaned them all out. That's when my little helpers decided to join in on the fun. They found some old nut shells and a nutcracker. Fun times!

At the end of the day, we all went to eat at another Mexican restaurant. That is a favorite in my family, we LOVE Mexican food. I think we would all agree that the best Mexican food was in Chicago. Every time I go out there, they have a new place they like.

Biltmore Estate

2009-12-27T22:37:00.001-08:00

July 5, 2009

After church, my family headed out to the Biltmore Estate to have lunch at the Deer Park Inn.

The boys were a bit more adventurous this year with the foods that they would try. Robert is definitely willing to give more things a try, once he smells it, of course.

After lunch, we headed over to the gardens and the little petting zoo area. I have to admit, I had never seen a scarecrow like this one!

Leigha loves flowers, she could have walked around the grounds all day (well, maybe not WALKED).

It's amazing how much horses can grow in a 24 hour period of time. I think the size of these horses was just a bit overwhelming for the boys, at first.

Eventually, they all warmed up to the horse.

Matthew

Noah

Robert

The goats were definitely the favorites, though. They followed them around every where they went.

Off to the Races!

2009-12-27T22:16:00.000-08:00

July 4, 2009

It was nice to have everyone feeling great again! Leigha had seen that there would be miniature horse races that weekend, so she asked if we could go. We saved it for Saturday. This was not like any horse show I had ever been to. I had a hard time looking at these serious people, dressed to go to a wedding or prom, being driven around by these little horses.

I think the boys were excited to see a horse that was their size! After watching a few races, the kids were all restless. We decided to take a walk around the stables and see if there were any other horses to see.

Leigha

Later that night, I got the work out of my life. My mom and I took the kids to see the fireworks in Hendersonville. This is the first time we have stayed in North Carolina for the fireworks. Last year we were driving through Arkansas on the 4th. I had NO idea what we were headed to. I was pulling the wagon up a hill that was at least 30% grade. If I were walking, it wouldn't be that bad. Pulling three boys in a wagon, up a never-ending hill, was not my idea of fun. When we made it to the top, I found the first open spot to drop our stuff down. It was picnic time!

Leigha has never like the loud booms from fireworks, so she kept holding her ears. The boys got a little frightened, but overall they loved the fireworks. It was a great day!

It's THAT Time of Year!

2009-12-27T21:40:00.000-08:00

June 26-28, 2009

Towards the end of our park visit, I noticed that Matthew was becoming a big lethargic and he was starting to get a fever. I really was NOT in the mood to make a repeat 911 call like the year before. It was horrible timing with Stephanie and her kids there, and then Crista and her family were on their way. That night, both Matthew and Noah ended up with the high fevers. We put up an air mattress in the living room and I slept out there with them that night. Wait, the intention was to sleep, but that did NOT happen. Sick as ever, Matthew still found the energy to be a complete chatterbox. My mom slept on the couch next to us, well, tried to at least.

Stephanie and her kids were taking off early Saturday morning. We had originally intended on taking a group photo, and then photo shopping my brother in to the picture. We really need to learn our lesson and just take the picture at the beginning of the trip. My kids were too sick to get up and take their picture, so we only ended up getting Stephanie and her kids.

After they left, Crista's family started getting up and ready for the wedding they were in town for. It was hard to believe how big and beautiful the girls were getting.

They make one cute family!

Unfortunately, this illness was not going away fast. The kids could not eat ANYTHING. Everything hurt their throats and they were miserable.

Matthew and Noah were not excited to find out that they couldn't join us for a walk. They pouted, more than they already were, the entire time everyone else got dressed and put their shoes on.

The rest of us headed out, fully equipped with bubbles from the wedding.

It was great seeing Crista (and her family) again! I just wish we didn't have to go so long in between visits.

I can't even imagine how big the three girls will be by next summer.

Chuck, Crista, Caroline, and Eva

After they headed back home, the boys started to feel a bit better. We got them dressed and let them all help Grandma fill up the bird feeder. I was happy that Matthew never ended up in the ER this trip! Don't they look like happy boys?

Matthew

Noah

Robert

Things were looking up! It still hurt them to eat, but the fevers were disappearing. Thankfully, Crista's family and Stephanie's family never got what they had! I just wish I could say the same thing about Robert and Leigha. They took their turn at this hideous thing the next morning. Two more days of being stuck in the house with two kids who had fevers and couldn't eat. What is it about my kids and North Carolina?

Dare Devils

2009-12-27T20:57:00.000-08:00

June 26, 2009

My kids are NOT dare devils. It took us years to get Leigha to go down a slide. My boys were not that much different than her. My neice and nephew are polar opposites. Amelia will scale ANYTHING and I don't think Marcus is too far behind her.

I was so excited to see that the park at my mom's church had playground equipment like we did as children (the good ole days). You will notice that as Marcus is scaling the equipment, Robert is collecting pine cones.

Matthew was having a great time on the swing. He kept looking at the TALL slide, but he decided that the swing was high enough for him.

After watching Marcus and Amelia swing like monkeys, at the top of the TALL slide, Noah finally got up enough courage to try it himself.

Then it was Robert's turn!

Matthew had to have help climbing up the ladder. I have never seen such a steep ladder. It was tricky for me to be able to carry him up. He was a happy camper going down the slide, though. Unfortunately, that meant that he would keep asking for me to take him back up!

Amelia loved walking along the benches and looking at the leaves on the trees. Really, she was just patiently waiting for the boys to stop LOVING the slide so much so that she could get back on it.

Not to be outdone by her little cousin, Leigha was bound and determined to get to the top of this climbing contraption. However, she was not thrilled at how many photos I took in the mean time, she wanted DOWN.

I couldn't believe how high Leigha could go on a swing! She has definitely mastered the pumping skills.

Later than afternoon, Crista, Chuck, Caroline, and Eva came to Asheville to attend a wedding. We picked up Caroline and brought her back to my parents' house to play while the others attended the rehearsal dinner. It had been a year since the girls had seen each other, but they reconnected fast!

Caroline is another one that has no fear. She stuck her hand right into the pond and let the fish come up and nibble at her fingers.

Then--the true MADNESS started! My mom got this silly (messy) idea to get the shaving cream out. I think she feels bad that my kids aren't given these "fun" types of things to play with at home (although I don't remember doing this as a kid?). She started off by putting it on her face, and then it was all downhill from there.

I don't think Robert caught on to the fact that Grandma went AROUND her mouth, not on it! I was fearful of what could happen next. Then I just smiled when I remembered that SHE would be the one cleaning them all up. Crista always feels bad for my children, she would have been thrilled to know that this was happening while she was at dinner.

Noah might do a little bit better when he starts shaving. He at least got it around his mouth!

Leigha thought that they were being very strange. She kept making faces at the boys and Grandma as they came down the hall. Guess what happened next?

Finally, it was Matthew's turn!

After I finished taking pictures, I convienently disappeared until I had clean kids again. That's the best kind of fun, one in which I don't have to clean up!

We Had the RIGHT Idea

2009-12-27T20:41:00.000-08:00

June 25, 2009

Before Stephanie and her kids left town, we decided to take the kids to McDonald's to meet up with my mom on her lunch break. The kids had a ton of fun!

Marcus

Stephanie and Matthew

Noah

Amelia

I am SO smart!

When we got home we saw one of the flowers had bloomed in the pond!

Shhhh....Don't Tell Noe

2009-12-27T20:37:00.001-08:00

My kids have always been scared to death of dogs. I don't think it helps that the first dogs they met were the little ones that jump the highest. My parents had to keep their dogs locked up away from Leigha when she was little (and bigger). The boys would jump up on the couch and freak out when the dogs came through their house.

Can't you tell how scared Matthew is now?

We could never have a dog of our own, my poor kids would be scared to death!

Happy 40th Birthday, Lee!

2009-12-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

June 21, 2009

While Lee and Stephanie took off on a rafting trip, my mom and I took the kids to church. We must have scared most of the other children off, because I think only one other child showed up! My kids LOVED all of the crafts that awaited them. Everything that I have avoided was there: scissors, glue, glitter, markers, etc. My worst nightmare!

Matthew jumped right in with the markers. I was barely breathing by this point. Blue marker was going to be EVERYWHERE!

Marcus went straight for the piano. I think he looks like a professional!

Noah was so proud of his sticker picture. I could handle that type of art work, all we had to do was clean up all of the little paper backings off the floor.

Robert just made my heart beat with joy. While the others were making a mess, he was cleaning up after them! This doesn't happen often, so I enjoyed it while it lasted.

Amelia played with just about everything. She started with the piano and then moved on to the colored pencils and puzzles.

Last, but not least, was Leigha. She LOVES to do artwork. She loves making things out of paper, coloring, painting, designing, etc. She couldn't wait to go to church with my mom, listen to the lesson, and then do all the crafts that her mean ole mom doesn't let her do at home!

At night we were able to celebrate Lee's 40th birthday with home made pizzas and then a yummy mint chocolate chip ice cream cake!

Signing Time Black Friday-- 50% OFF!

2009-11-23T18:09:00.001-08:00

You can click on the Signing Time Academy logo to the right to make any purchases!!

I am so thrilled to announce that Signing Time will be offering an AMAZING sale this weekend!

Save up to 50% off on Signing Time Products this weekend ONLY

Signing Time Holiday Specials

Many gifts fade over time but the benefits of signing with your child will last a lifetime! Make this holiday special and memorable with Signing Time.

Friday, November 27 - 50% off orders over $25

* All single DVDs, CDs, Books and Flash Cards are 50% off on orders over $25
* No Coupon Necessary
* Excludes ALL GIFT SETS AND COLLECTIONS
* Not Valid with any other offer
* Good one day only
* Not available to wholesale and distributors

Saturday, November 28 - $15 off orders over $50

* $15 off orders over $50
* No Coupon Necessary
*
* Not Valid with any other offer
* Good one day only
* Not available to wholesale and distributors

Sunday, November 29 - Free shipping on orders over $50

* Free shipping on orders over $50
*
* No Coupon Necessary
* Not Valid with any other offer
* Good one day only
* Not available to wholesale and distributors
* Free shipping available on domestic U.S. orders only
* Free shipping via USPS Media Mail (2-3 weeks for delivery)

Monday, November 30 - 20% off all gift sets & Collections

* 20% off already discounted gift sets *Note: Gift sets are not gift wrapped
* No Coupon Necessary
* Not Valid with any other offer
* Good one day only
* Not available to wholesale and distributors

**Side note: I swear I will get up to date on my blog eventually!

Out of My Mind

2009-10-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday (remember, this is back in June) we decided to take the kids to a waterfall. That sounds like a great idea with my kids, right? The one I really wanted to go to was still closed (for the third time in a row). This one was not too far from my parents' house, and you can get in the water and swim at the bottom. Great idea, right?

I used to consider myself semi-smart. I could remember things that most people could not. However, most of my brain cells have really been depleted since I had my boys. As long as I have a few left, my boys will be safe and alive. I am not totally out of my mind. This was as close to that waterfall as they were going to get this time.

The boys were not happy with my decision to make them stand there and watch. They kept asking (ok, begging) to go down there with the others. I did not wear a bathing suit. I had no way to keep a tight grip on all three of them. Did I mention that my kids do not know how to swim? Or that there are tons of slippery rocks down there? I bet they wonder why Leigha gets to do so many things they can't.

I wonder if they realize that Marcus was the same age as them. In my defense, my children outnumber me. That's the excuse I will stick to for awhile longer. Lee swam all the way to the bottom of the waterfall. At that same time my mother turned a lovely shade of white and grey. Guess it doesn't matter how old your kids are, they are always going to scare you to death!

It's About Time!

2009-10-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

Two days after we arrived in NC, my brother and his family arrived. This is the first time our kids have gotten together since our boys were one year old. Amelia is 6 years old and Marcus is about 3 weeks older than my boys. Nothing like shocking my dad with some noise in the house!

I finally found the the capes that went with the pajamas right before we left. Matthew was so excited to get to wear the Superman that night. I swear, the costume went on and he immediately took on the roll.

The kids were just happy to be at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Can't you tell?

After awhile, the kids started settling down and picked up their video games. We had 5 Leapsters and 1 Nintendo DS between the kids. All I can say is THANK GOD!

Miracles Do Happen!

2009-09-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

As I have said previously, I hate the rest stops until you hit the more central/eastern part of the United States. I did remember that we had seen a gorgeous rest stop last year and we made a note of it on our map. We decided that we would stop there and let the kids play for awhile.

The kids played on the playground equipment for at least a half hour. My mom and I took turns taking the kids for restroom breaks while the others played their hearts out. We were hoping this would wear them out for awhile.

This was the first time I had seen Robert and Noah climb up the bars!

Matthew just ran back and forth at the top of the equipment, and then finally started coming down the slide.

Leigha had a great time, too, but she kept playing shy with my pictures. I thought about posting the one of her butt, but I thought I would give her a break this time! I wish there were more rest areas like this one. It would even be better if there were restaurants there, too!

We stayed just outside of Little Rock, AR that night, and then we made it to Asheville the following evening. I am really impressed with how well my kids do on long drives. They are so much better than their father!!

Let the Games Begin!

2009-09-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

On June 14, we started off on our annual cross-country trip to North Carolina to visit my parents. Every year my mom flies out to make the drive with me. I am so lucky to have great company and help on my drive (probably wouldn't be visiting every year if I had to do THAT alone).

If I remember right, last year Robert asked us if we were almost there when we were about an hour into our trip. That made my mom and I laugh (the first 10 times) considering we still had about 29 hours of driving time left to go. This year we made it all the way to Arizona before Robert asked for the first time. It was our first pit stop, to use restrooms, and he thought we were there. WRONG!

We had not seen our friends in a long time because we kept going out of town opposite of each other. Laura and Don were on their way back from a trip to NC and VA, we were going to miss each other by a half of a day. After our bathroom break we called to check in on them and it turned out we were going to be passing them in a little bit. We decided to make a quick detour off of one of the exits and pulled up to each other!

We would have tried to make it somewhere where the kids could play together, but two of Laura's boys were fighting something. As much as I love them, I had no interest in my kids getting sick on day of a three-day car trip!

About an hour later we stopped at a rest stop for lunch. We had packed our lunch for this first day, so we just needed a rest area. From previous years of experience, we have never cared for the rest stops in Arizona and New Mexico. We were lucky to have stopped at the one we did. They had covered picnic areas, so we spread out our food and let the kids enjoy. As we drove in, we had noticed that there were some rocks that the kids could go climb on. We figured we might as well let them run around for a few minutes before loading them back up.

My mom and my kids found this little guy as soon as they went over to play. He stuck around long enough for me to run back to the car to get my camera. That doesn't happen around my house. I just see a big blurr as they run into my bushes!

My mom gave my kids these Asheville shirts the year before. They were finally big enough to fit in them. Considering we were Asheville bound, thought it would be appropriate for my monkeys!

Leigha could barely keep her hair out of her face. The wind was blowing it everywhere!

We drove until we were well out of Albequrque, NM and getting closer to Texas, before we pulled over for the night. Just like last year, the kids were handling the trip well!

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...

2009-09-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

No, it's SUPERMAN! Every time I think Robert can't shock me, he proves me wrong. I am not sure which shocked me more, the fact that he could climb up the cat pole, or the fact that he was able to hurdle over all of the TOYS to get to the cat pole. Maybe he did fly!

No More Excuses!

2009-09-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

My boys are getting big! Sometimes it's hard having the boys attend a year-round school when I attend a nine-month school. However, it has it's advantages, too! When school was out for me, the boys still had another week of school left before they went on track break. I was finally able to put them on the bus myself!

I still can't believe how big they are getting! (Noah, Robert, and Matthew)

Noah

Robert

Noah and Robert

The best part of that morning was when I got to watch Matthew climb the stairs on the bus for the first time! At his annual IEP review, they talked about it in the future, but told me he wasn't ready for it yet. Matthew HATED his chair. He had to use it to get to his classroom. He would not talk to anyone from the moment he was strapped in, until the moment he was taken out of his chair. It was the strangest thing ever.

I don't use his walker outside of the school setting, I didn't even realize he was using it at school until our meeting. After our IEP I started really thinking about how strong he has become. I called his teacher and scheduled a review of his IEP over the phone. I asked for him to be able to get on the bus without his chair. His teacher seemed a bit hesitant, but said that she would talk with the OT. A few weeks later, Matthew's teacher called me and told me that Matthew had been working with the OT to get on and off the bus. She finally thought he was ready! I just wish I had been there to see his face the first day he didn't have to use his chair. His teacher emailed me and told me that she had tears in her eyes (not usual for her) when she saw how proud he was to climb on the bus with his brothers!

Not only could he get on and off the bus just like his brothers, he also could ride in a regular seat like them, too. His smile says it all!

She's About to BLOW!

2009-07-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

In May I was definitely at my breaking point. School deadlines were absolutely crazy (and that's putting it mildly). I had been a single parent for over 16 months. My patience had been kidnapped and was being held ransom. I had a trip planned to Salt Lake City to meet up with some of my friends. It was planned with the idea that my husband would be home to stay with the kids. As the trip got closer, Noe's arrival was pushed further and further back. My anxiety level was increasing daily.

With a ton of help, I was able to escape my house knowing that my kids were in good hands. My niece, April, took the first two night shifts. My nanny was there during the day and then April relieved her. Then my brother used his air miles to fly my mom in on Friday. My mom stayed with the kids until Monday when my nanny took back over. I was home by the end of her shift on Monday afternoon. It was a three-ring circus, but it all went well. My biggest gripe was that I didn't even get to see my mom at all, but I was so thankful that she was able to help me out!

I had almost 6 days to myself. That is something I have not had since I gave birth to Leigha over 8 years ago! It was enjoyable not to be responsible for children. I was free to do whatever anyone wanted to do. To me, that was golden. I was able to go out to eat, shop, and just hang out with my friends.

Ronai and I had great coupons ($50/100) for Old Navy, so we took off shopping on Thursday. We felt we deserved it after working out with Rachel that morning. We were ESTATIC to walk out of the store with size 1 and size 2 jeans! Ok, I am sure my size 1 was fluke, but it was fun knowing it fit!

Isn't Rachel just amazing? One day with her and we magically shrunk!

On Friday morning, Ronai and I got treated to a workout by the owner of the gym Rachel goes to. I was a bit scared of the owner being our trainer. Something about the way Aaron and Rachel laughed when they found out who we had just made me a bit paranoid. The dungeon didn't help either! (This is THE Matt--the one that Rachel, Aaron, Jana, etc. work out with! Jared had left by the time we got our cameras out!)

I have lost weight, but obviously haven't built up very much muscle!

Some day I will be able to pose between Rachel and Ronai and have something to show!

We had a great time though. I won't lie and say it was easy, because it wasn't. However, it made me really wish I lived there so I could go all of the time. I can see why Rachel and Aaron look the way they do!

As a reward for my hard work, I was able to enjoy my first pedicure. I have NEVER had one in my life, but I am now hooked! I live in sandals in the summer, so this would not be the last time I would experience this little bit of heaven. I can't see myself doing it during the winter, just until sandal weather is over. The massage chairs were amazing as well.

Saturday morning was the annual race for the ADC (Association for Deaf Children). This is the same race that a bunch of us participated in last year. I loved being able to meet up with the girls that I had met there last year. I think our unofficial "Team Hopkins" had a good turn out.

After the race, Rachel, Alex, and Hopkins performed for the crowd.

I had lots of fun and even walked away with a 1st place medal for my age group (2nd overall).

My friend Kei completed her first 5k, yet they made a mistake and everyone ended up running around 4 miles! It turned out that they didn't have everyone turn around where they were supposed to, so they went about a 1/2 mile further than they should have. Unfortunately, there was a teenager who was running so fast that the volunteers were unable to get him turned around because he had already passed that point. I believe they had to have someone jump on a bike and go after him. He ended up running 8-9 miles! Must have felt like a long 5k to him. He's ready for a 1/2 marathon now!

The rest of the weekend was just spent trying new things. I became quickly addicted to Red Mango and Spoon Me. They both have fantastic frozen yogurt, but Spoon Me also had a great theme going on. Even the bathrooms were fun!

Two more of my favorite gals, Kei and Jana!

On Sunday, Kei, Ronai, and I joined Rachel's family for bowling for OLD candy! If there was ever a reason for me to bowl a strike or a spare, this was IT! I had barely eaten candy since March! Lucky me (or unlucky me?) I got to eat a bunch!

Rachel, Cathy, Kei, and Ronai sporting Rachel's fabulous bowling shirts!

Words can't express how much fun I had that week. It was great to get home to my family, but I can't wait to go back and see all of my friends again! A huge thank you to everyone that made that week possible!

Signing Time in Las Vegas

2009-07-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Less than a week after the Baby Expo, Rachel returned for the annual Vegas PBS Ready to Learn Signing Time event! This time was even more special than before. The entire Coleman and Brown family joined her.

Hopkins and I were VERY close that night, so we had to arrive early. Leigha LOVED seeing her "best friend" Lucy! Leigha has considered her a best friend ever since the first time she met Lucy a few years ago. They hung out on the lawn as everyone else ran around. Every time I checked on them they were laughing. I *think* they had a great time together!

My biggest fear of helping out Hopkins was that I wouldn't be able to bring the boys to the show. Once again my aunt came to my rescue. She picked up the boys, grabbed McDonald's and headed to the other side of town to meet up with us. She kept them happy and entertained for the hour before the show started.

After the girls shared a Popsicle, they started reading the book that Vegas PBS gave them.

This year was probably the best one yet for Vegas (not that I am biased or anything). The audience was surprised to see Alex and Leah join Rachel on stage. The kids in the audience all received the cutest little frog hats, too!

The meet and greet line was long as usual, but Rachel always stays long enough to give everyone a chance to get a picture and say hi. Funny thing is, Hopkins always ends up with cheeks that hurt from smiling, too. It's impossible not to smile when you see all the excited (and frightened) faces on the kids (from birth to 90).

When almost everyone had left the park, the boys got to have some special time with Hopkins. Unfortunately, one child came back to see Hopkins and Robert just busted out laughing and said, "That's not Hopkins, that's MY MOMMY!" WHOOPS!

Just When You Think It's Safe

2009-07-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have always said that Matthew does everything about a year later than his brothers. He got off oxygen a year after they did. He was still on a bottle about a year after them. He ate table food a year after them. He walked a little over a year later than them. He was potty trained a little less than a year after the other two. You get the idea, right?

Remember last year, at my parents' house, the green Sharpie? I know I do, and I am pretty sure my mom still does. That incident was conducted by Robert, with Noah as his accomplice. Matthew sat innocently on the couch with Leigha. After that, I didn't think anything like that would happen again. I thought they learned their lesson and they did (for the most part).

Matthew, on the other hand, felt the need to follow along on his scheduled path. As a parent, you know there is something wrong when you round the corner and see one of your darling kids throw something to the side, walk with their head down, and hands covering their butt. Normally that means that Matthew has been playing with the remote control, but not this time!

I will not pretend to stay calm and collected. I am a hot head, especially since Noe had been away for almost 18 months. Matthew KNEW he was in trouble. There is not a doubt in my mind that he knew he was doing something he shouldn't. He's one smart cookie, just not smart enough to know not to set me off. Red crayon across the entire back of my semi-new couch is NOT the way to keep me calm and collected. I was pretty proud of myself, I don't think I even spanked him. I am sure my neighbors a few miles down heard me, but that's about it.

Matthew did not even try to leave time out once. He didn't cry, didn't complain, he didn't do anything but sit there. How long is too long to sit in time out? I don't think I was setting a time limit.

A few minutes after he fell asleep, he fell of the chair (which is actually a table). That wasn't the end of time out. I think I let him sit there for over an hour. Let's just say that he hasn't drawn on any other furniture or walls since then!

It's BABY Time!

2009-07-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

No, I am NOT pregnant! On May 2nd I attended the Las Vegas Baby Expo at the South Point Hotel and Casino. Rachel, from Signing Time, was there to give a performance. It was fun to get to see her perform again, and in a smaller setting.

In addition to watching Rachel perform, I was excited to finally meet Natalie and Nicholas. Nicholas had a very exciting and anticipated birth last year. It was nice to sit and chat with her before the show.

Once again, Leigha was able to jump on stage with Rachel. I try to give her the speech ahead of time, telling her that she has been up there before and that she needed to give other children an opportunity. That just doesn't go over very well with an eight year old! She raised her hand, and Rachel was gracious enough to include her. I really wish I could remember who Rachel chose next, it looked like she REALLY wanted that one!

Rachel (who might kill me) has been my motivation over the past year. Last year when I saw her, she had just completed a 12 week Body for Life program. She looked absolutely amazing! She took it a step further this year and it gave me the motivation to get into shape. Who wouldn't be inspired by her transformation?

We waited around until everyone else had taken their pictures and got their autographs. The kids were excited to see Rachel again (almost as much as I was!).

It was off to the Cheesecake Factory for a late lunch! Leigha was a chatterbox the entire time. It took Noah awhile to get over the fact that he was having lunch with Rachel, but she wasn't wearing Orange. Last year we met up with Rachel at the hotel the day before the event. My kids didn't even realize it was her at that point. This time they knew it was her, but were thoroughly confused. It was very cute!

Unfortunately, this was a quick trip for Rachel. After lunch she had to head back to the airport to catch her flight home. The entire way home I had to listen to, "I miss my Rachel. I miss Signing Time Rachel, too." It's a good thing she was coming back to Vegas 5 days later!

Giving Thanks

2009-07-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

There is one yearly even I try my best not to miss, and that is our NICU reunion in April. This year marked the fourth anniversary of the NICU staff saving the lives of my three sons. I love getting to see some of the doctors and nurses that we got so close with, and I love seeing the kids that were in the NICU at the same time as us.

Dr. Asadifar was our favorite doctor. He took the time to sit down and explain everything that was happening. He tried to keep us up to date on everything that was happening. He is the main reason I attend the reunions every year.

Dr. Leitner is the head of the NICU (I think) and he is always at the reunion, too. I think they enjoy seeing the kids grow up, knowing how sick they were when they are born.

One of our favorite nurses was there, too! Everyone called her Sherry Manilow because she loved Barry Manilow. She is a total sweetheart who loves her job.

MaryBeth is the OT for the NICU. She worked with all of my boys, but especially with Matthew. She was always willing to go the extra step and also help us learn what to do to help the boys.

For those who don't remember, we were the first set of three triplets in the NICU at the same time. Unfortunately, the Sowards moved to Reno so we don't see them anymore. Thankfully, we get to see Don and Laura's boys a lot! They spent about 6 weeks with us in the NICU, but became life long friends.

While I go to the reunion to see the doctors, nurses, and other previous patients, I am sorry to admit that my boys mostly want to see the characters! They didn't let me down this year, they are still character stalkers! Their favorite one this year was the one from The Incredibles. Yes, they enjoyed the cupcakes, snow cones, popcorn, etc., but all they really wanted to do was hang with Blue, Incredibles, Elmo, etc.

Leigha was with us that day. I think she enjoys being older and having more freedom. She was all over the different treat booths (NICU reunion at lunch time, but they served all junk food--kids' heaven!) and bounced in the bouncy houses. She would return to me now and then, but I don't think hanging out with the characters is where she wanted to be.

Leigha is quite the photographer. She loves taking pictures, so I handed her my huge camera and asked her to take some pictures of the group shot. She was much too close to get everyone in, but she did the best she could from her position. I think she took about 100 pictures in the matter of minutes--have to love digital photography!

I want to point out some of our other friends. To the right of us is Joselle and her triplets. When I first heard about her, it was kind of creepy. Unfortunately her pregnancy was pretty close to mine. Her Baby C's (Aspen) water broke around the same time Matthew's did. She also gave birth within a week that I did. She gave birth to them a little of a year after our boys were born.

The little boy in the Mets shirt is Evan (to the left of us). He is one amazing little boy. Evan was born at 25 weeks, I think about 7 weeks before my boys were born. He was our neighbor in the NICU. When you are in the NICU, you aren't really supposed to wander around and look at other babies. For the most part you don't even have conversations with the parents in there because they value the special time with their children. For anyone that knows me, that's impossible. I had NEVER seen a NICU before. I had NEVER seen a premature baby before mine. I WAS FREAKED OUT when I saw my boys for the first time. Knowing that Evan was older than mine, and born earlier, I would peek at him from a distance. I won't lie, it was hard to see him struggle. Evan spent 120 days in that NICU and he was released before we were. I can't tell you how much it warms my heart to see what a handsome boy he has turned into. They have moved away from Vegas, but it's nice to see them at the NICU reunions!

It was a beautiful day, filled with lots of smiles and laughs. To top it off, we were able to briefly see Crista and Chuck. They were in town for a conference, so we stopped by their hotel to hang out with them for an hour or so. The kids LOVE climbing all over Chuck. It was short, but sweet!

Testing

2009-07-20T16:34:00.001-07:00

Testing, 1..2..3, testing...is anyone still out there?

Locks of Love

2009-05-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-27T22:51:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-13T21:36:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-11T22:50:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-11T22:35:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-03-30T22:43:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

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

Leigha's 8th Birthday Party (Will Her Birthday Ever End?)

2009-03-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

Leigha chose to have her birthday party at Sunset Station's bowling alley. Ever since we visited the bowling alley to take some pictures on Halloween, Leigha has wanted to go bowling. We tried to go one day, but the wait was over 2 hours. She was finally going to get her chance. I just hoped that she wouldn't hate it; not a great time to find out!

Leigha was able to invite 9 of her friends to join us. Leigha and Hailey got a head start on the other girls. The three of us got our shoes and found the balls we would need. Leigha had a tough time remembering how to hold the ball, so I reminded her to think of the phrase "I love you" in sign language. I think that did it!

I have never been so happy to see bumpers pop up on a bowling alley! I think most of the girls used and abused the bumpers, some even hopping over them to the next lane. One of Leigha's balls had to be retrieved because it stopped half way down the lane. She got the hang of it though!

After an hour and a half of bowling, the girls were ready to eat. We had pizza and pop and then soon after we had the birthday cake. Leigha has never been a huge fan of cake, so we got one traditional birthday cake and one cookie cake. The cookie cake was a hit!

Leigha received some fun presents. Lots of Hannah Montana and High School Musical items, as well as a bunch of different pets for her to use on the Internet (just what she needed). A good time was had by all!

Leigha's Second Birthday

2009-03-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

The only thing better than a birthday, is a birthday that gets celebrated over a longer span of time. Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Jerry had not returned from their Australia/New Zealand adventure in time to join us on Leigha's birthday. Instead, they came over on February 20th, fully armed with cupcakes and icecream! My poor kids, being forced to enjoy more birthday treats! You can just see the pain in their faces.

Robert

Noah

Matthew

Everyone loved the cake and icecream. I lucked out because I didn't like the fudge frosting. That is a GOOD thing, I ate a sliver that night and never touched it again.

Just for Fun!

2009-03-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have always been a stockpiler when it comes to the kids' clothing. There is no way I can afford to pay full price when I have so many to buy for. Most of the boys' shirts are $2.50 or less. I have bins of clothes for them up to size 5. Unfortunately, there are some clothes that just don't get their full use because they outgrow them before I attempt to have them wear them. I let these cute shirts slip by the winter.

I thought they looked so nice, and then this started...

Yes, those are my children and I do love them!

Happy 8th Birthday, Leigha!

2009-03-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

On February 16 (I know, I know) Leigha turned 8 years old! It's funny to hear her say that she hasn't done certain things since she was 7, like it was so long ago. Leigha's birthday fell on President's Day, so we had the day off! I had my nanny at home with the boys, so Leigha and I made it a girls day out.

The first thing on our agenda was lunch. She chose her favorite restaurant, one which she visited too frequently with her father, Green Valley Ranch buffet. We found out, the hard way, that it was quite busy on holidays. The line was long, but Leigha was definitely happy to be there!

After lunch we headed for the mall. Leigha received a coupon for $12 off of an animal at Build-a-Bear. In addition to the coupon, she had $20 of her own money to spend, too. After much deliberation, I have to admit she made a great choice.

Just like last year, Leigha wanted an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. I have to admit, that's my favorite cake, too. Her birthday party was the following weekend, so we didn't need a larger one. I had stopped in the day before to order the cake and the smallest one they had was my favorite ice cream. Instead of the regular rectangular cake, they had a chocolate fudge roll cake with Chocolate Mint Chip ice cream. We stopped by after shopping and picked up the finished product.

The boys really understand birthday parties now. They knew they were about to get cake, and were thrilled that it was Leigha's birthday.

Happy 8th Birthday, Leigha!

Happy 1st Birthday, Josilyn!

2009-02-20T22:34:00.000-08:00

We had a very hectic weekend a few weeks ago. Leigha had two birthday parties in one weekend, and I had one to go to right in the middle of Leigha's second party. The boys and I dropped her off at Bounce U! and then we ran over to Sharon's parents' house. Sharon and Brad were celebrating Josilyn's first birthday! I can't believe it's been a year since Sharon's baby shower.

Josilyn looked so beautiful in her dress. She was just too fast for me to get a picture of her from the front. Talk about a girl on the move!

I can't say that she was too fond of wearing the birthday hat.

Josilyn was a little slow with the cake at first. She really didn't want anything to do with it. Once she had a little taste of the frosting, I think she changed her mind.

When we first got to the house, I had to literally drag Noah inside. I was stunned at how shy he got when he saw everyone in there. For the first 15 minutes he didn't say anything and he just clung on to me. The others got a little more adventurous after a few minutes. Then they were gone. At first I thought I should go protect the house from my gang, but then I decided to keep on chatting with an old friend. How bad could it be (don't answer). The boys were having fun!

Robert

Matthew is a pain in the butt to photograph these days. All he ever wants to do is make silly faces. He jumped right up into Bob's arms (Sharon's dad).

Noah was definitely not acting shy anymore. They made me wish I hadn't gotten rid of Leigha's old rocking horse. Then again, he looked HUGE compared to the horse!

We were only able to stay an hour, but we had so much fun seeing them again. It's still hard for me to believe that Josilyn is one already. She sure is growing up fast!

Lesson NOT Learned

2009-02-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows that children make mistakes, and then learns from them. That just doesn't seem to be the case for MY children. One example of this, is Matthew. Back in September he put an old cell phone in the microwave and set it on fire by turning the microwave on. Nothing like seeing flames through the window.

I thought Matthew learned his lesson, because it's definitely not a day I think he will ever forget. I also learned about the locking feature on all microwaves. It's too bad I didn't learn of it BEFORE that day. Needless to say, I made sure it was always locked after that. I never let him see how I locked and unlocked it, for fear of him figuring it out.

I think it was November when Matthew killed my cordless laser mouse. I swear it wasn't me, so I will blame the nanny for this one. The microwave must not have been locked, and Matthew put the mouse in the microwave and started it. Once again he had an audience of co-conspirators, but someone stopped the microwave after 3 seconds. THANK GOD! Robert and Noah came running to me and ratted out their brother immediately. For the record, 3 seconds is long enough to kill a mouse, and make it smell up my entire house, but not long enough to have it engulfed in flames.

Awhile back I learned a valuable lesson from my nanny. I automatically preheat the oven before I bake something. One day I got a rude awakening when I realized there was a horrid smell was coming from the oven. My nanny used the oven as a storage place for some baking sheets and a cutting board. The cutting board was melting in the oven, but luckily it was pretty easy to clean up. From that point on, I always check to make sure the oven is empty before I preheat the oven. I, too, started putting cookie sheets in there instead of where they should go, because it was a fight to get them back in the cabinet. She was going to do it, why not just join along!

On the last day of January, I got ready to make chicken nuggets. I had cooked the previous night, and being the lazy person I was, I had left the cookie sheet on top of the stove. So I just went ahead and preheated the oven, I knew it was empty. I then proceeded to dry my hair and brush my teeth. When I returned to the kitchen, I had horrible flashbacks. The smell emanating from my oven was hideous. Matthew strikes again. At some point after dinner and before I attempted to make lunch, Matthew had put a Leapster game in the oven. That's a good place for a game, right?

Once again, the other two boys must have witnessed it and tattled on their brother just a little too late. That smell lingered around for days. I still smell it a little every time I preheat the oven. I give Matthew a dirty look and he just flashes me that one tooth smile with squinty eyes. He thinks that cute face will get him out of trouble everytime, but boy is he wrong. Everytime he does something wrong like that, his hands cover his rear and he marches himself into time out before I have a chance.

Happy Anniversary!

2009-02-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

On January 24, it was exactly one year since Noe left for Tokyo. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate this anniversary than to relive history. Noe left when both Matthew and Noah were in the hospital for RSV and Matthew had pneumonia on top that. What a year it had been.

Rather than dwell on the past, Matthew decided we should celebrate this special day in true Ybarra style. A week before this we had just gotten rid of this nasty bug that was floating around our house, hitting each one of us. Just when we thought we were doing great, Matthew decided to spike a 105 degree fever. No, that's not 100.5, it was seriously over 105 and it stayed that high for awhile. I am surprised he didn't have a febrile seizure. I gave him some Motrin and popped him in the bath while I called my nanny to see if she could come watch the other kids while I drove him to the ER. About 30 minutes later she arrived and we headed out the door. By that point Matthews fever was hovering around 103-104.

I have found that the one advantage of having little ones sick is that you get seen rather fast at the ER. The look on the lady's face at registration was priceless. When she asked why we were there, I told her what his temperature was. She looked at me like I was an idiot and said 100.5? Once I reassured her that it was indeed 105+ she was shocked. I am not sure if she was shocked so much about the high fever or the fact that he had a smile on his face as he walked in the doors.

They didn't take too long to call us back. Of course Matthew made me look like a fool, his temperature at that point was 99.5. The doctor came in and looked in his ears, eyes, and listened to his chest for a few minutes. Everything seemed fine, but she ordered a chest x-ray and blood work. I think she thought I was a bit whacked, too. Who doesn't these days?!

Matthew started this journey excited. He was excited to go to the hospital by himself. He was begging to walk into the hospital, since he's so used to being seat belted into the wagon with his brothers. He loved the attention, until the nurse walked in to put in the the IV and draw blood. He wasn't so thrilled anymore!

It turned out that his white blood cell count was high and he had pneumonia. Thankfully the RSV test was negative. He received a round of antibiotics through the IV so we weren't able to leave right away. Since it had now been almost 5 hours since his fever spiked, I went in to ask if he could get some Tylenol before we left. They asked if his fever was back and I said yes, from what I could tell (I have never been good at gauging fevers). The nurse checked his temperature again, and indeed his fever was back up to 103.5.

After the antibiotics were finished, and his IV was flushed out, we headed back for home. I kept him medicated every 3 hours for the rest of the night and he was doing great by the morning. The fever was almost gone and he was playing around like the other two. I am grateful that we escaped a hospital stay this time!

Whirlwind Visit

2009-02-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Right after my Dream 5k race, Leigha and I were supposed to meet up with my friend Jana (from BabySteals)and her children at Circus Circus. This is a dream come true for Leigha. I figured that I already had my nanny at the house, so I might as well use her. Leigha deserves some fun that isn't complicated by her little brothers.

Unfortunately, I was delayed by a huge group breakfast with everyone from the race. We ended up staying for the awards and that took forever. Once I got home, about an hour later than I would have liked, my keys were gone. Thankfully I found an extra key eventually. I showered and ran out the door with Leigha.

Jana has fabulous children. Easton is 14 years old and I hope my boys are as nice as him. Without complaint, he took care of his little sister and just hung out while the other kids went on all of the rides. He was as polite as could be. Brandon is 8 and he was the one that Leigha got to go on all of the rides with. Well, most of the rides. Leigha was so excited to go on one particular ride, but Brandon didn't want to. Jana finally talked him into going on it so Leigha could go, but once they got up to the front of the line they came right back to us. We told them to go get on the ride and we got this response:

I was absolutely shocked that my daughter, who is afraid of the playground equipment, LOVED the rollercoaster! That was the first ride that Brandon and Leigha went on. I was fearing the blood curdling screams that might deafen poor Brandon. Does this look like the face of someone terrified by a ride?

The kids immediately ran around and got right back in line to do it again. I was stunned. This is a roller coaster that has loops and twists. She is my kind of kid! They went on a few other rides and appeared to have a lot of fun together. Is it really out of the question for arranged marriages in this day and age? I would love to have him as a son-in-law in another 20 years. I know Leigha would love her in-laws!

I really hated that I had less than two hours to spend with them, but I was happy for what ever I could get. Jana, Easton, Jane, and I just followed the two kids around as they played.

Jane is an absolute doll. She happened to turn around on the previous shot, so I feel compelled to post a picture from the BabySteals website. She is a feisty 2 year old who would be a perfect match for any one of my boys. Then again, the damage that they could do together is a horrifying thought. Jana has some great stories about Jane.

I love my friends, just wish they didn't live so far away!

Miracles Do Happen

2009-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have never professed to be the most sane person in world. Over a year ago I started running on and off. I got pretty serious in the spring, until I did something to my hip. Then I took the summer off. In the fall I started training for the Vegas Half Marathon. Everything was going great, that is until I hit the 5 mile mark on my treadmill. I have found that the worst torture for me is staring at my neighbor's drive way for that long. With the knowledge that I would have to keep increasing to 13 miles, death was starting to sound better. I started getting bogged down with insane stuff at school and my running dwindled.

I think I ran a few times in December, but nothing steady. In January, some of my friends mentioned that they were thinking about doing a 5k race in a few weeks. I hadn't run, and didn't dream that I would be able to because of my kids. About a week before the race, they all decided to sign up. Before I had a chance to talk myself out of it, I jumped online and registered! Then it dawned on me that I probably should run a little bit before the race.

On Tuesday I ran a mile and then I ran two miles on Thursday. No problem, the race was only 3.1 miles. Piece of cake, right? A 5k just sounded like a short little race. I mean I had ran up to 5 miles on my treadmill.

As I get older, I realize that I am just a carbon copy of my mom. I think we both survive on less sleep than most people. We both are professional procrastinators. When ever there is an important event or trip, my mother can't sleep. This is especially true when it's an early morning event. My mom almost never sleeps the night before a flight. I think she worries she will not wake up or that something will go wrong. I am also a little paranoid about waking up on time for things. I have been known to turn off and alarm because I have worked it into my dream and it made sense at the time. That night I set my alarm for 5 a.m. My nanny was going to come over at 5:30 a.m. so that gave me enough time to get ready before she got there. My friend, Joni, was picking me up at 5:45 a.m. Everything was set and I went to bed.

I FREAKED out when I woke up and saw that it was 8:30 a.m. At first I didn't think anything of it, but then 5 seconds later I realized that I was supposed to get up at 5 a.m. I have never felt so sick in my life. I knew the race was over by that point. Just when you think it can't get worse, it does. I realized that meant that my nanny got up at a horrendous hour to drive all the way over to my house, and then I didn't even hear the door. I had told her I would open it for her when I woke up. I knew she would be mad. Then I wondered if my friends had stopped by to get me.

I ran downstairs and I saw a note sticking through the door. My friends had been there and left me a note telling me where the race was (on the other side of Vegas) and said that they would just meet me there if I was still coming. I was just about to break into tears. I couldn't believe I missed the race I had been so excited about. Then it hit me--there is NO way in hell my boys would sleep until 8:30 a.m. That's when I realized that I was sleeping and it really was only 4:30 a.m. So much for a good night's sleep!

Everything else went off without a hitch. Suzanne showed up at 5:30 a.m. My friends were a bit late, but we made it with time to spare. The one thing I had not counted on, was how much colder it was on that side of town. We were FREEZING!! Joni and I took refuge in Wendy's car for a few minutes.

The third grade teachers rock! Cathy, Julie, Wendy, and Joni

It was finally time to begin the race! We were all grouped together at the starting line, but still freezing our butts off. I was very thankful that they gave us those sweatshirts, or I would have been dying.

I think I was so focused on the fact that I was freezing, that I missed a lot of what the announcer said. Then the race began. It took about 20 seconds to understand why a lot of people told me you can't train on a treadmill. I was finding it hard to breathe since it was so cold and windy. I was also used to running on a flat surface that gave me no choice of slowing down without the thought of landing on my face as the belt kept going. On the road I had to push off with every step and it was NOT flat. I just kept praying that I would make it to the finish line.

I was quite relieved to see the Boy Scouts passing out water at a water station. I didn't take any, though. I could just see me trying to run and drink at the same time, not a pretty picture! I was just thrilled to know that it was the half way mark. At that moment I knew I could make it.

I had no idea where we were running, as I never saw the race mapped out. So far we had just made half a square. When we took our third right, we didn't run all the way down, we just ran half way, and then took another right. We were now running parallel with the main entrance of the park. I knew that we must be getting closer to the finish line. It was at that moment that my heart broke. Just when I saw the park, our race path took a right turn and headed back to those same Boy Scouts. I couldn't believe it--we were running AWAY from the park. UGH! That straight way to the scouts was a series of hills for water ditches, which didn't make me any happier.

Once again I passed those scouts and their offerings of water, but I didn't have that same cheerful attitude that I did the first time I passed them. It was at that point I realized that they were at the mile markers, the first time we had just ran a mile, and now I had just completed a little over 2 miles. There was one good part though, I could see that we were definitely heading back to the park this time. I just kept on pushing along, keeping my pace right behind this other lady that I had been following most of the race. I am a little irritated I didn't pass her when I could. It turned out that she was in my age group and she got third place. I missed a certificate by a few seconds! Oh well, I was just thrilled to run through that finishing line ALIVE!

I was proud of everyone for their great races, but I was especially proud of Joni, Jay, me, and Susan. It was our first 5k race and we all did awesome!

A First for the Boys!

2009-02-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, January 11, my aunt and uncle invited us to the outlet mall to go on the carousel. This was the first time the boys have been on a carosel ride. I think Matthew had the hardest time, because I put him in the middle. I think I had a momentary lapse of brain cells and forgot that the inside is probably the worst place to be. I couldn't even look at the middle.

After the first ride finished, we took a break and went to the food court for lunch. We enjoyed a delicious pizza and then headed back to the horses. I wasn't so sure that was a great idea, I saw how much pizza was eaten! We switched the boys and put Matthew on the outside this time. He was all smiles!

We all had a wonderful time! I am so happy that my aunt and uncle came up with this fabulous idea.

w

A Busy Day

2009-02-14T09:29:00.001-08:00

January 10 was a busy day! I made plans that morning to meet Laura and her family at the park around lunch time. When she called to let me know what time they would be there, she told me they were on their way to Lowe's for their free workshop. I totally forgot that it was the day where they were making Time Capsules. I was still in my pajamas, as well as the kids. I was bummed! When I got off the phone I looked at the clock and debated if I could physically do it. It was just about to start, so I just gave in to the fact that we would miss it. Then it dawned on me that I had to get everyone ready anyway, so why not try!

The next 25 minutes were a blur. I got dressed, threw some clothes at Leigha and told her to get dressed, and then I changed the boys as fast as I could. I think they thought it was a game. After making sure everyone had their hair and teeth brushed, we were out the door. Wait, did I forget that I didn't have anyone going with me? Normally we make this adventure with my aunt and uncle.

I was thrilled that they still had some time capsules left. I got all of the kids settled down with their kids and then we talked about what would happen. I would help each of the kids, one step at a time. I think they were excited to be back, but maybe I should have fed Robert a little more for breakfast?

The whole experience went much better than I started imaging on the drive over there. It's been hectic when we had three adults, much less just one! The kids were very patient with me (miracles DO happen)!

Noah was taking his work very seriously. He has been practicing with his hammer and "nails" that Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Jerry gave him for Christmas.

Wait a minute! Who gave Robert a second hammer? What is that little mind thinking right at this moment?

Matthew was enjoying the sandpaper.

I think Leigha liked the idea that there was only one adult with four kids. That meant that Mom would actually let her do most of her project on her own. Yes, I admit it; I am a control freak (just not evident in EVERYTHING I do).

Once again, we made it through another Saturday clinic without any injuries or catastrophes (hmmm, I don't have to count that first time when Matthew knocked a 9ft door over, do I?). They all had a great time and they got to take their time capsules with them. I will admit to confiscating them once we got to the car. I would like Noe to see something they did BEFORE the stickers are ripped off!

After we were finished, we grabbed some lunch and headed to the park to meet up with our friends. It had been awhile since we had been to the park, too many sick kids this winter. They were happy to get out and play! It's fun watching what they can do now. Every time we go to the park, they seem to get a little bit braver than the last. I sometimes wonder what they do at school, because this time they were climbing so much more!

Robert was very proud of himself, and so was I!

Matthew was having playing under the slides and towers.

Noah is becoming an old pro at the rock wall.

Matthew scares me to death! He loves to push the other boys on the swings. Everytime they come back at him, I wince. I just constantly remind him to be careful not to get hit in the face.

Matthew never wants to get on the swings himself. This time I just decided I would make him get on there. I don't think I caused too much damage, do you?

Now that Leigha is getting older, it's harder to keep up with her. She is around the playground, making friends whenever she can. The one place I can usually catch up with her is on the big blue swings, and that's only because she needs ME to push her!

Overall, we had a FANTASTIC day!

If I Could Go Back In Time

2009-02-11T23:00:00.000-08:00

As much as it pained me to do it, I bought Leigha and me tickets to go see High School Musical on Ice. It wasn't that I didn't want to take her to see it, because I knew she would love it. I just think that once you have worked for Disney on Ice, we should have lifetime passes. Really, the company saved lots of money on me. I never requested tickets for the shows I skated in since I was overseas the entire time. Unfortunately, that's not how it works. I was able to get tickets for a long time from friends who still worked for the company. Slowly, sure surely, everyone has been getting off the road that I would have known. It's official, I am getting old!

This time it was different, though. I was really excited to take Leigha to see this show. Sadly, I will admit that I love all of the High School Musical movies! Unfortunately, Noe doesn't miss an opportunity to make fun of me for this either.

It was also nice for just the two of us to get out for a girls' night out. Leigha is with me a lot, but we don't get to do anything fun with just the two of us. I asked her where she wanted to go to dinner, and she chose Olive Garden. It was a GREAT choice! I hadn't been there since the boys were babies, and I love their salad and bread sticks. We had a great meal and had a chance to just chat about anything and everything.

On the way to the arena, we stopped by Walgreen's to pick up a few snacks. I used to work for Disney on Ice, I knew how ridiculous the price of the snacks and souvenirs were. Leigha and I had a talk about how we would have some snacks with us and how we weren't going to get snow cones, popcorn, cotton candy, etc. She was totally fine with that. That is, until we walked in and sat in our seats. For the next 35 minutes, she did a fabulous job of begging me for the hat full of cotton candy, or the snow cones in the glowing cups.

Leigha cracked me up when she saw Troy and Gabrielle. She just looked at me and said that they don't look anything like the real Troy and Gabrielle. I have to admit, it was a bit of a disappointment. I know that understudies are in at all times (taking turns) so part of me hopes that Troy was an understudy.

They did a fantastic job with the basketballs. I was impressed!

During intermission, I gave in. I bought Leigha (ahem) cotton candy that came with a hat. As much as I hate wasting money on junk, I remember being a kid and wanting all of that stuff (and more). I think she was happy!

The first half was mostly HSM, and then the second half was HSM 2.

All in all, we both had a great time! We were able to escape, just the two us, and enjoy each other's company. We both loved the show. I just wish that show had been around when I was touring. I would have much rather skated THAT show than the ones I did. I think the HSM movies have great music. I can't say the same about some of the Disney music I had to skate to, over, and over, and over, and over, and over again.

It Sucks Being an Adult

2009-02-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

Since I have become an adult, there haven't been many things that I have felt sucked. Granted I could do without bills and working, but nothing that was earth shattering, until now.

On December 20, our 10 year anniversary, my Aunt Bobbie, Uncle Jerry, cousin Asheley, and her daughter Sydney came over to watch the kids while Noe and I went out. I have just sat down and really looked at the pictures for the first time because I didn't get them until a few weeks later. There were some cute ones in there!

Sydney was making a new friend. She kept giving Rockey some love!

The next evening, Rocky started meowing kind of funny. I had never heard him cry like that before. I also started noticing that he wasn't sitting normally. He was holding up one of his back legs. I checked to see if something happened to his legs, but he didn't really have a reaction to me touching his leg. I was conflicted with what to do. I didn't know if it was serious enough to take him in that night, or was it something that would go away rather fast.

About an hour later, Rocky started crying. I watched him walk up the stairs and take forever to try to lie down and get comfortable. That leg was still up a bit. I knew at that point that I had to take him in. He was straining to go to the bathroom and he couldn't. Thank God Noe was in town so he could stay with the kids.

I learned that there is no such thing as a 24 hour vet here, although almost every other one has it on their signs. What makes them 24 hour is the fact that they are partnered with the pet hospital. That meant I had to drive about 25 minutes to get him in. It was 10:30 p.m. when I left the house. When I walked into the ER, there was one other lady in the lobby who was there for the exact same problem as we were. Then a couple walked out of the back room, bawling, because they had to have their pet put down because they couldn't afford to treat it (it was really sick).

It didn't take long for the vet to come in and tell me that Rocky's bladder was blocked. It was really large and hard. The poor kitty, that had to be excruciatingly painful. One of my childhood cats died from a bladder that was blocked. I was given the quote that it would cost $800 minimum to treat him that night and then they would send him in the pet transport to my regular vet down the street from my house. Being a bit paranoid, knowing that it why Sootie died, I asked what the chances were that he would be ok. I think the vet felt a little bad for me, and gave Rocky a quick little ultrasound to make sure he didn't have stones that would have needed to be surgically removed. It made me feel better that they didn't think so.

The vet told me that they would keep him until Wednesday morning and then I could pick him up. The catheter was working great! Unfortunately, they told me they would have to keep him because he had a little blood in his urine. Normally that would have just been an extra day, but it was Christmas Eve. We wouldn't be able to pick him up until Friday.

On Friday I picked him up and brought him back to the house. Everyone was thrilled to see him, except for Smokey. Neither one of them appreciate it when one gets out. Even if the cat escaped to the backyard, the hissing starts. It wasn't too bad though, better than I would have thought. Unfortunately, the next day I realized that I noticed that Rocky was having trouble going to the bathroom again. I called the vet and they assured me that it was normal due to swelling. I was just to keep an eye on him to see how much he goes. They had told me he would probably go a lot for a few days due to the IV. It's really hard to tell when you have two cats sharing a litter box!

I decided to make a litter box out of a cardboard box and locked Rocky up in my room. He was not able to use it. I left him in my room all night, and in the morning I checked on him. There was urine all over my bathroom and then a little tiny trail of blood spots leaving the area. I felt relief that he went, but knew it wasn't normal. I had called my aunt and uncle the previous night to see if they could come earlier to play with the kids. I wanted to take him in as soon as they opened.

I was right, Rocky's bladder was hard and large again (even though he got some of it out). They told me that if I fed him this prescription cat food, they only see 10% of the cats again. Lucky us!! Once again they didn't feel comfortable letting him go on Wednesday morning, considering this was his repeat offense, so they kept him over New Year's. On Friday morning they called and told me that he had been doing great and I could come and pick him up at any time.

This time it was different. Rocky came home purring, well after crying the whole car trip. He was super cuddly, and just being himself. It was great! It made me realize that the previous week he had returned home and just acted kind of strange and non-social. I was just happy to have a healthy and happy friend back home.

The next evening, of course right after the vet closed, Rocky started acting a little bizarre again. He wasn't crying at all, but I caught him trying to go to the bathroom without any luck. I found a huge wet spot where he had been sleeping on my bed. It started getting a little worse as time went on and I finally had to lock him up in the bathroom. I had never seen such a mess of cat litter in my life. It was just absolutely everywhere. I guess the sheer frustrating, and pain, just made him kick litter up even more than normal. I had to move him to the downstairs bathroom when the boys were ready to go to bed. I called my aunt and asked if she could come by first thing in the morning so I could take Rocky back. It was weird though, he wasn't crying at all. Just tried to use the little box and couldn't. I didn't know what was going to happen the next day. A vet on call the week before said that when it's the third blockage they suggest surgery where they remove the penis and reroute the ureter. OUCH! I knew in my gut what I was going to have to do, but I was struggling because Rocky wasn't even crying.

By the next morning Rocky still hadn't used the restroom more than a drop here and there, and not in the box. I packed him up and let the kids give him a hug. Leigha was the only one I had attempted to explain what could happen. I wasn't sure what I was going to do yet. By the time I got to the vet, his bladder was large and hard again. With tears in my eyes, I told the vet that two weeks of this pain was enough and I couldn't put him through anymore. I filled out the paperwork, paid my bill, and then had a few last moments with Rocky. He started climbing and jumping into the cubby holes and was straining to go to the bathroom. I knew I was making the right choice, but it sure hurt like hell!

My mom had been the one to put my childhood pets to sleep when it was needed. I have never had to do this myself. It was the first time that I realized it sucked being an adult. They offered to do it after I left, but I couldn't. I rubbed Rocky's head as they injected him with an overdose of sedatives. I was amazed, and relieved, that it happened very fast. By the time she removed the needle, he was already in kitty heaven. She gave me a few more minutes with him, and it was hard to let go. I walked out of that office in tears, with everyone in the waiting room staring. I had watched that couple walk out two weeks prior and I wish I hadn't gotten a chance to feel that same pain.

When I first moved to Vegas, Noe and I adopted Rocky and Smokey from the same litter. We only meant to get one, but we couldn't decide. They are saints to put up with my kids so well. The boys will climb on them like they are horses. They hug them, pull takes, etc. Rocky was just a wonderfully sweet cat. He will be missed by our family.

End of Another Year

2009-02-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

Noe returned to Japan on December 27. We had him home for a week, and the kids got some much needed Daddy time. Although it was hard to say goodbye, he had given all 5 of us some Japanese robes and outfits.

The boys' outfits consisted of shirts and shorts, and they were adorable. They had no desire to take them off after we took some pictures!

Leigha's robe was gorgeous. It was so silky and Noe couldn't have picked a better color for her. I was very impressed with his shopping abilities.

The good thing about the timing was that we still had one more week off of school. We still had time to have fun before getting back to our regular schedule. Don and Laura came over on that Monday with their kids and their neice. Cathyrn is one year older than Leigha, and the girls love hanging out together whenever she is in town. They had a blast that night, at least I think they did, we never saw them!

On New Year's Eve, I took Leigha to the floating skating rink in Lake Las Vegas. I took a chance and hoped that I would run into an old friend of mine while I was there. When I skated for Nutcracker On Ice, Wayne Seybold was the executive producer and skated with his sister on the stage tour (I was on the arena tour). I hadn't seen him since we left reheasals. I was pleasantly surprised to find out he is now the mayor of his hometown in Indiana. His family owns the floating rink and he comes out every year, I just always miss him. Not that day! We only had a few minutes to chat, but it was great seeing him again.

Leigha had a slow start on the ice again, but she did much better than the last time I took her. I just feel like we start from scratch each time, since so much time goes by in between visits. Her ankles were also caving in. I have never been a fan of rental skates. Thankfully I can still squeeze my feet into my show skates, barely, but I did it!

One of the neat features of this tiny rink is the fact that it's floating in the water. I remember asking someone last year if anyone had ever flown over the boards and into the water. Just once, and I am sure that's all it took for that person not to goof off again!

Leigha had a fabulous time, and I enjoyed watching her grow more confident. Although she still wanted nothing to do with me teaching her.

While we were gone, the boys stumbled across Leigha's old mp3 player. I am just thankful that they really didn't figure it out until after she got her iPod Shuffle. I know she wouldn't want them to be messing with her music. Leigha now wears the ear buds, so her old player and headphones get shared by the boys (with Mom's supervision of volume control--especially on Matthew).

Who could refuse this cute face?!

Oops, I Did It AGAIN!

2009-01-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

It never fails that when I am visiting with my mom and dad that I forget to get pictures. It's always a scamble on the last day to make sure I get some pictures of them with the kids. Why should Noe's trip home be any different? Sure, I have a picture here and there, but that's it.

Getting the kids to cooperate with me, at the same time, is not an easy task. The second that I got all of the boys up on the couch with Noe and Leigha, Robert was being obstinant. Then Noe says something in a stern voice and Robert starts bawling. Great for a family picture, right? So I let some time go by, hoping that Robert will cooperate, and try it again.

All I can say is, THANK GOD FOR DIGITAL CAMERAS!

Noah isn't the only one praying for at least one picture to come out nice!

We are getting closer!

Then they lost it. I don't remember what I said or what they did, but they couldn't stop laughing for a few minutes.

Then we attempted to get a complete family photo. I don't think I had attempted that on my camera before. It took many shots, but we finally got one with all of us in the shot. I didn't say it was a great one, just one with all 6 of us!

Merry Christmas!

2009-01-26T23:56:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, when we got home from seeing the lights, the kids did not fight us too much about going to bed. I loved that they were ALL excited this year. This is the first time the boys really understand.

Santa was very good to us this year! I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek after Santa left our house. I knew the kids wouldn't be disappointed!

Unfortunately, my children woke up way before I wanted to. The boys were thrilled with climbing into bed with Noe and me, but Leigha was just not going to sit idly by and let stockings and presents go unopened. Eventually I tried to remember back to my own childhood and decided I couldn't torment her any longer. I told them that they could get their stockings first, but then Noe and I needed a few minutes before we were ready to open presents.

It was both fun and shocking to watch them go through their stockings. The second Noah saw a Wii game, he dropped the rest of his stocking and wanted to go play the Wii. As I have said previously, he's turning into a game junkie. Robert is definitely my child. He could liked the video games, but he went straight for the candy. What a proud mommy moment, or was it?

Matthew was just excited about everything. He went through his stocking, but then he just wanted to get to the tree. He wasn't going to wait around for Leigha!

Leigha loved her present from Santa. Two years ago, we bought Noe a new camera for Christmas. This meant that Leigha inherited his old camera. It was a Nikon Coolpix 2.0 mp that I had gotten from one of the cigarette companies. I used to collect and trade for upcs and send them in for stereos, cameras, etc. Since then she has taken a ton of pictures, but was highly frustrated with the battery compartment that wouldn't stay closed and the lack of sound in the videos. The HORROR! A seven year old had an old digital camera. What kind of parent am I that would allow that? Never fear, she now has a camera that is nicer than her dad's! I did warn her, in just the nick of time, NOT to let her dad talk her into trading cameras. I knew he would try, and he never let me down! She took great pride and joy in letting him know, and everyone who called, that her camera was better than his!

The kids had a blast opening presents. It was really neat to see the difference a year made. Noah and Matthew were pretty content with playing with each toy as they opened it. Robert, on the other hand, tried to open every single present under the tree. I had to slow him down and explain that some of the presents were for his cousins when they came over. That disappointed him at first, but he loved playing with all of his goodies, too!

Last year I received a ton of grief from my mother. It seems that she didn't think it was appropriate to have the boys dressed in brown camouflage on Christmas morning. A lot of my friends by cute little holiday pajamas for their kids, but I never think about it soon enough. This year I wanted to avoid the lectures, so I ordered matching pajamas for all four kids. I hope that my mom approves, and if she doesn't, I will dress them up as gangsters next year!

I think the kids really loved having their dad home for Christmas. He brought us all an outfit from Japan. Leigha's was absolutely beautiful.

My brother-in-law and his family come over for Christmas every year. We usually have a non-traditional (and that's putting it lightly) meal of barbecue, with the normal staples of green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. It also wouldn't be Christmas without the Christmas Story being on for 24 hours straight!

After they left, the boys were back to playing. I'm not sure I ever brushed their hair or got them dressed that day. I just had to make sure that all of their pictures were taken in cute pajamas, because that's all that matters, right?

I also found out that it was very dangerous to hand Leigha a digital camera that takes video with sound. I will have to make sure that I look through them all and dispose of some of them properly. I finally told her that she has to make people aware that they are GOING to be filmed. She popped up EVERYWHERE!

No Excuses!

2009-01-26T23:11:00.001-08:00

I think if someone could describe me in just a few words, it would have to be "full of excuses." I think I have an excuse for everything, and I can rattle them off faster than ever! Is this something I am proud of? Heck NO!

When the boys were born, I think I still had hope left that I could have a semi-normal life, for me at least. I used to take Leigha everywhere with me. We would run errands at the drop of a hat. I did notice that my friends, who did not have children, started calling less and less. Automatically it was assumed that I could no longer have a life outside of motherhood. Just imagine what the news of triplets does to a social life! However, I was bound and determined to not sit in the house all of the time. With my triplet stroller and oxygen tanks in tow, we would run to the store. Granted, it was very difficult to MOVE through the store, I was out and about.

I remember being shocked that my friend Laura hadn't taken her babies out alone before they were 10 months old. Between her husband and her mother, she always had extra hands to help her when they went out. I look at her now, and I think we have totally switched rolls. Laura is NEVER home with her boys, and I am ALWAYS home with the kids. I wish I had 1/10th of her energy and outlook on life.

Leigha lost all sense of normalcy when the boys were born. I barely had time to sleep, much less sign her up for sports or dance classes. Eventually I felt that I had to make it happen. I signed Leigha up for soccer with my friends' children. I took the boys in their stroller and we hung out on the sidelines. I made it, but I remember it was getting harder by the end of the season. They had no desire to sit in the stroller the whole time.

Noe and I have always worked opposite of each other. I would run home from work and take over. I couldn't imagine trying to get home from school, pack up the kids, and run off for a dance class. The kids were usually finishing up naps around that time. Twelve months ago Noe left for Japan. This was a HUGE opportunity to let those excuses fly. Now all four of my kids go to school. I can't (my motto) sign Leigha up for any classes because there is just no time. By the time we get home, it's time for homework, dinner, and then everyone to bed. When do I fit classes in? Is this fair to Leigha?

This past fall I did let her take a Mad Science course at the school. Don't fall off the edge of your chair, but I COULD do that! Since it was right after school, I just got some of my work done while she was in her class. The boys, on the other hand, are really secluded to my house. Noe NEVER took them out, unless it was to a doctor's appointment. So the only time they would leave the house was to go run errands with me. Now that I have a nanny while he's gone, it's no different. The only time my boys leave the house, during the week, is to go to school maybe. I feel for them on track breaks because then they are stuck in the house for the entire 5 days. I want to know how working parents do activities with this many kids! HELP!?

I think my lack of blogging recently is just due to my frustration. I tried to get back into working out last spring, but I am not doing well with it at all. I lost my workout time, before work, when the kids were switched to beds. With the crib tents, they would just wait for me to rescue them. That didn't work so well once they had freedom. I don't feel comfortable being in the garage, with my iPod blaring in my ears, knowing that they could be up and something could be wrong. Okay, in reality, I am worried they might burn my house down. I started taking my kids to the gym on the weekends, but that doesn't work when the kids keep getting sick. I am SO thrilled to be paying for a family of 6 to use a gorgeous gym that NO one is using. It makes SO much sense!

My frustration has just come to a boiling point recently. A bunch of my friends have been running together and training for 1/2 marathons. I really wanted to give it a try. I loved running in my first 5k race a few weeks ago, but it was nearly impossible to be able to attend that. I had to pay my nanny for an extra day so that I could escape. I also found out that training on a treadmill does NOTHING for running outside on the road. I just wish I could put the kids to bed and go run with my friends, or wake up early and go for a morning run with them.

So, as you can see, I am full of excuses. I just need to figure out solutions and stop sulking. I WILL find a way to make this work. I am not happy with the way I look or feel, and I am the only one that can do something about that. Leigha needs the opportunity to get active, too. That is my next goal. I will figure out a way to get her in at least one class next session with the park district. I think I am just overwhelmed with what my future will be when I have to help FOUR children do their homework AFTER I have taught all day. What about sports? When will that happen? Sports and homework and dinner? Really, how the heck do other people handle that? I swear I will be completely gray by the time my boys hit 1st grade.

I am not sure I wrote one coherent sentence in this whole post. However, this is my promise that I WILL catch my blog back up instead of letting it fall further and further behind. I WILL go get dressed in my work out clothes instead of my pajamas. It's not that I will be working out tonight, I am back at square one where I have to sleep in my workout clothes so that I won't make an excuse to get out of bed when my alarm goes off in the morning. No more excuses!

One-On-One Time

2009-01-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Ever since the boys were born, one-on-one time has been very limited. For the boys, one-on-one time has been limted to hospitalizations or doctor visits. Lucky them! I feel horrible about that, but it's just nearly impossible to do anything with one child when we work opposite of each other. Up until this year, Noe has taken Leigha to the movies or out to eat at their favorite place (Green Valley Ranch). Now that Noe has been gone for this past year, Leigha was the only one that had any sort of one-on-one time because the boys were in school for a few weeks when Leigha was not.

I already had ideas and plans for Noe's trip here. This visit was for the sake of our children, they came first. Noe and I decided to split the kids up and each of us would take each of them out by themselves. We were able to do this because I still had my nanny. On Monday morning Noe took Noah and I took Robert and we were off to the stores.

Robert was stuck going to the grocery store with me, but that was just fine with him. He was excited to be able to walk through the grocery store. He did a great job, too! I don't remember having to take anything out of my cart or chase after him through the store. Robert loves the grocery store and loved it even more by himself.

When we got back to the house to do the switch, Noe was pulling up too. It seems that he took Noah to the toy store and let him pick out a video game. Yes, it's 3 days before Christmas and my husband let him buy a video game (with no knowledge of what the boys were getting from us). He said that as soon as Noah had the game he wanted to go home and play it. I think I officially have a video game junkie!

Noe took off with Leigha for the afternoon and I took Matthew to Target. I have never seen him so happy! First, he was shocked I didn't make him ride in the wagon. I told him he could walk and when he got tired he could ride in the cart. There was no stopping him, though. Once we made it to the toy aisle, he looked like he just found gold! We spent most of the morning within these aisles. He was happy just walking up and down the aisles, pushing every button on every toy. I don't think he missed a single one! Never did he ask for me to buy anything or try to shove anything in my cart. He was just thrilled to play.

Noe called me while we were gone and I found out that he let Leigha buy a Ty Girlz with her own money. Sure, I bet she didn't have ANY help from her father! Once again I started the lecture about Christmas being a few days away and the fact he had no idea what she would be getting. Sigh, he doesn't learn! Either way, both kids had a wonderful afternoon.

On Tuesday, we swapped out kids again. Noe warned me that he was going to let the boys get something since he had already gotten the other two something. He promised it would be something small. At least there was that! I took Noah to Walmart and thought I would let him walk around the video game and toy aisles. I was still looking for a few more gifts. I was confronted with the demon child he has become when around video games. He started throwing all of these games in my cart. I kept explaining to him that we were just looking. He tried playing one of those demo games, but it wasn't working too well. There was a kid on the other controller and Noah was EXTREMELY displeased with me when I said it was time to move out of that area. He literally threw a fit. It made it hard to enjoy our time together at that moment. When I finally got him out of that section and over to the toys, he cracked me up. He went down one aisle of cars and just looked disappointed. He turned to me and said, "These don't have buttons!" I guess he didn't think it was fun to look at toys or cars that didn't make sounds. He had fun looking at most of the toys.

When we got back to the house, Noe had just pulled away with Matthew. I saw Robert playing with a bunch of Nick Jr. Matchbox cars. I could deal with that, that's small and cheap enough. I picked up Leigha and we were off to Toys R Us. She had an equally fun time looking trough all of the toys and games. What's fun about Leigha is that she really wanted to get her brothers gifts. She had already bought them gifts at the Holiday Store at school, but wanted to see if there was anything else she could find them. I was even sneaky enough to be able to get her a gift without her knowing!

Once again, Noe and I returned within a few minutes of each other. He had to take off for some meetings at one of the shows here. I found the toys that Matthew got. He got a set of animal figurines. I assumed it was one of those tube of animals. We really could use them, so I was okay with it. (I was okay until recently when I found the receipt and found out that each animal was $5.99. My husband has NO money sense, whatsoever!)

On Christmas Eve we have a tradition in our family. We got all bundled up and took a drive to the Festival of Lights. We drink hot chocolate in the car as we drive through and admire the lights.

When we got home it was time for bed, Santa would be coming soon! They were ALL excited, almost as much as me.

Happy 10th Anniversary!

2009-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

It was nice to have Noe home for our 10th anniversary! Years ago he joked about getting remarried by Elvis on our 10 year, and that probably would have happened if he had been around. My aunt, uncle, cousin, and her daughter came over to watch the kids while we escaped for the evening.

Noe was still feeling the jetlag pretty bad, so we weren't going to do anything too exciting. It was just nice to have time to spend together and talk. We started out at Olive Garden. To me, this was heaven! I can't remember how many years it's been since I have enjoyed an Olive Garden salad. Noe started taking Leigha there after the boys were born. It was MY turn!

After dinner we decided to just walk around the book store (Noe's true love) and the mall. We were able to find some good deals on gifts for his staff back in Japan and then we just walked around and enjoyed each other's company.

The night ended with a beautiful anniversary present. My birthstone is sapphire and the ring is a large blue sapphire, surrounded by white sapphires. It definitely put a smile on my face!

Welcome Home!

2009-01-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

When Noe left for Japan, his contract was for 18 months with the idea that he could return earlier if something opened up for him in Vegas. At one point they told him to hold off buying his ticket to come visit for our 10 year anniversary and Christmas because they might send him home for good then. However, that turned out to be a tease. Nothing like short notice for buying a ticket during one of the heaviest traveling periods all year!

Thankfully, we were able to fly Noe home on December 19 and have him stay one full week. The kids knew that Dad was coming home, I just never got very specific about when. I kept telling Leigha he would be home in time for Christmas. At one point I had to lie to Leigha because she asked when he was coming home when she saw me cleaning out specific parts of the house! BUSTED!

December 19th was the last day that we had school. Noe was due in around lunch time so I asked Noe is he would mind surprising Leigha at school and then volunteering in her classroom for the afternoon festivities. Of course he was was in Japan at the time and not sleep deprived. He was all for it! I went into Leigha's classroom to get posed to take a picture of Leigha's face when she saw her father, but it didn't quite work out the way I had expected. When she saw me with the camera, she started acting silly and pretending to not want her picture taken.

Then she finally caught a glimpse of him at the door!

I think you can see the excitement in her face! I just might be forgiven for lying to her the day before.

Noe was doing fine until Leigha went to her special. He came to my room during that period, but we were watching Polar Express. Needless to say the fatigue set in and he started falling asleep. He asked me for the keys so he could go home, but being the mean wife that I am, I wasn't letting him go home until I could be there to see the boys' reactions! I think he was regretting the whole idea of spending three hours at my school.

When we finally got home, I went in the house first to get the boys over by the door. I told them I had a surprise for them. They were all lined up, but once they saw who walked through the door Noah and Robert took off. They love to play that shy act when they haven't seen someone for awhile. It didn't take long for them to run over for a hug and then show Daddy all of their toys!

Noe then passed out from exhaustion!

Leigha & the Triplets

May 2010

*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*

April 2010

March 2010

February 2010

January 2010

December 2009

Cliff Notes

Vegas Rock n' Roll

Kids Rock Las Vegas

The Silverman

My New Car

The NEVER Ending Halloween Season

Let the FUN (and Pain) Begin!

You Look GREAT for Having TRIPLETS!

First Day of School

Leigha Takes on Disneyland

Summer Fun

Mother-Daughter Date

Look at ME!

Summertime Fun!

Welcome Home!

Small Details

Goodbyes

Off to the Pound!

BIG Helpers!

Biltmore Estate

Off to the Races!

It's THAT Time of Year!

Dare Devils

We Had the RIGHT Idea

Shhhh....Don't Tell Noe

Happy 40th Birthday, Lee!

Signing Time Black Friday-- 50% OFF!

Out of My Mind

It's About Time!

Miracles Do Happen!

Let the Games Begin!

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...

No More Excuses!

She's About to BLOW!

Signing Time in Las Vegas

Just When You Think It's Safe

It's BABY Time!

Giving Thanks

Testing

Locks of Love

Multicultural Night

Why It's Grease Lightning!

An Easter to Remember

BIG Ideas!

Grand Entrance!

Happy Birthday, Robert, Noah, and Matthew!

You ROCK, Mom!

New Things are Happening!

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

N-O-A-H

Leigha's 8th Birthday Party (Will Her Birthday Ever End?)

Leigha's Second Birthday

Just for Fun!

Happy 8th Birthday, Leigha!

Happy 1st Birthday, Josilyn!

Lesson NOT Learned

Happy Anniversary!

Whirlwind Visit

Miracles Do Happen

A First for the Boys!

A Busy Day

If I Could Go Back In Time

It Sucks Being an Adult

End of Another Year

Oops, I Did It AGAIN!

Merry Christmas!

No Excuses!

One-On-One Time

Happy 10th Anniversary!

Welcome Home!

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