Brooms!!!

A few post ago I mentioned that I was searching for some brooms for the kids. I was having trouble finding them in the few stores that I had stopped at, so far. So the Fed Ex guy showed up today with a package for the kids. I was a little puzzled. I opened it to find three brooms with dust pan and little sweeper made just for kids. The kids' Great Aunt Elaine had found them online. I did not give them to kids right away as we were headed outside to play in the corral and then swim for a bit, so I left them in the box until later. We introduced the kids to them right before dinner. OMG, you'd think that we had given them a pony or something big! So here are the pictures from the kids 1st time playing with their very own brooms. Thank you Great Aunt Elaine.
Love, Jen

Our 1st county fair!!!

Ok, ok...I know, I know...I said I would have this post done 3 days ago. So thank you for your patience. So here it is....the county fair pictures.
We fed the kids lunch here at home before leaving...not only did it save us money but also the hassle of feeding 3 toddlers in public. Our primary goal at the fair was to find the "petting farm" so the kids could interact with some animals. After we all (including Aunt Jackie, Uncle Momo, Grandma and Grandpa) got our bracelets on and through admission we went on the mission to find the "petting farm". With the fair ground constantly changing due to expansion it tooks us a while to find it. On our way we went thru a few barns - the rabbits and poultry barn, the cow barn, the Llama tent. We finally got to our destination. Auntie Jackie took pictures while Grandma helped Zach, I helped Liz and Daddy helped Alex meet and greet the animals. They met sheep, goats, a llama, a cow and a donkey...there was a camel, a potbellied pig and a kangaroo but none of them we wanting attention.

After we were out of feed for the animals and the kids had had enough we headed to get lunch for the adults. At this point in a "normal" day the kids would be put down for their nap, but not today! They snacked on animal crackers while the adult ate. Once the animal crackers were gone we could tell we needed to get moving.

Since the kids are a little bit too young for corn on the cob we thought wewould give them the next best thing to have at the fair...ICE CREAM! I got them a bowl of chocolate ice cream. Although they have had a little bit of ice cream before this time it was not a huge hit. Liz wanted nothing to do with it and ended up with more on her outfit than in her mouth, Zach was more interested in the spoon but did eat some, and Alex loved it and ate a bunch.


We grabbed some ice crea for ourselves and were going to head to the horse barn when Auntie Jean, Uncle Willie and Alexis finally found us. After talking a bit and not moving it became obvious that we should get going. Zach had already made himself comfy as you can see by the picture below and Alex was almost asleep sitting on daddy's shoulders.
We got home and laid the kids down at 5pm...2 hours past their normal bedtime. They did great! No meltdowns and plenty of smiles. Even though we did not get to see a lot, it was a great outing. Hope you enjoyed the pictures...I tried to pick the best out of the 50 that were taken...ieieieie!

Love, Jen

Recent posts...

You may have noticed if you had recently checked the blog that there have been a ton of posts added. I was a little behind on naming pictures and just did not have a lot of time to get the actual pictures downloaded and stories written...don't know why...LOL. Anyways, including this post, I have put 11 post on here since the last one on the 16th. So I hope you have time to read them all as well as enjoy the pictures. I have one more post to get done about the kids first county fair that we went to yesterday. I am hoping to have that done tomorrow.
Love, Jen
I had to post this picture of Liz standing at the awesome little table I picked up at a rummage. The umbrella opens and closes. It has Winnie the Pooh on it. It has folding chairs that are perfect for by the pool as they dry easily.

Look at these faces...so lovable!

1st time in playarea...

Here are some of the many picture taken when the kids got to go into the playarea for the first time. Some of these toys have been stored in the garage so it is their first time seeing them. Thanks to a very generous mailman, a few gift and many rummage sales, the kids have plenty of toys to keep them busy.
Here is Liz entering the playarea...
The boys check it out from the outside first...
Everyone gets a turn in the car...


Zach looking for something to rake...

Liz riding her car backwards...
Alex with a load of dice in the wheelbarrow...
Liz with the other dice in the other wheelbarrow...
Zach wondering what's int he sandbox...
Everyone also took a turn going down the slide all by themselves...

Boys finishing up their snack...

Hope you enjoyed them.

Love, Jen

Hockey in the kitchen

If you remember back a bit there was a post about how is in love Zach is with the broom. While Nana was taking care of the kids on Monday I went on a hunt to find some kids' brooms. Easy enough, right? WRONG!!! I could not find them. I checked a couple different dollar stores as well as Shopko...not to mention the resale shop...NOTHING! So I settled on some hockey stick...similar to a broom, right? They were a hit! Still does not replace the broom for Zach as he still looks for it (yup, it is hiding), but it works for now until I can search further. Here are some pictures of them playing in the kitchen with their new sticks.
Love, Jen

Nana and Papa visit...

Nana and Papa came to visit the last few days. They got here Sunday afternoon and left last night after the kids went to bed. With their help we were able to get some things done. Jeremy and his dad got the playarea done as well as work on the tractor and work done on the picture window. I was able to get some time away from the kids to due some shopping, cleaning and organizing the upcoming sizes in clothes.
Monday Nana and Grandma took care of the kids at Grandma's so I could do things without having to sneak around so the kids would not see me. Jeremy and Vernon got the playarea done. Tuesday Nana took care fo the kids here while I tried to hide upstairs organizing clothes. Jeremy and Papa worked on the tractor and the picture window.
The kids enjoyed them being here as did we! It was a great visit and it felt great to get some things accomplished that would have taken a few more days without their help.
We took this picture while they played in the playarea for the first time. It is an awesome picture.
Thank you Nana and Papa for the help!
Love, Jen

A little thing I like to call "Freedom"

Let me begin this post by describing a typical trip outside. It starts in the house right after lunch; pack the bag-making sure there are sippy cups, snack, diapers, wipes, kleenex, burp cloth, sunglasses, sunscreen, hats and a telephone...oops don't forget the camera. We then need to change all diapers and put on shoes-so that's 3 diapers and 6 shoes-and now don't take off your shoes!!! Oops run outside to put toys out in the middle of the lawn. We then in a slow turtle-like walk walk down the stairs and outside. Immediately they all go a different direction. Quickly gather them and take them to the toys while they kick and scream. Finally we are at the toys and playing. Now it is a matter of keeping them "close" to each other. You must calculate how fast you can run so you can determine how far you will let each one get remembering you only have 2 hands. After an hour of chasing, we head back into the house very similar to the way we came out!!! Ugh...anyone else tired? And this is suppose to be relaxing, obviously not for me!
So to make going ouside a lot more fun for EVERYONE we decide to make a playarea in the backyard. Our backyard is huge and our frontyard is VERY close to the road, so as far as the kids know-we have no frontyard (see how long I can fool them). So we picked out a spot a while back. Unfortunately, the task of building the playarea was put behind some other tasks that needed to get done. So it has been in the planning stages for a while.
My dreams came true yesterday. My dear hubby and father-in-law took the day to build my "freedom" in the backyard. It took cutting down a VERY rotten Crab Apple tree, pounding some posts into the ground, putting fencing along and a door for it to be complete. After a full days worth of work it was finished.

I don't think I can accurately describe what this means to me. I don't dread taking the kids outside. The experience is fun for ALL! I can leave them play and go do something else (obviously with keeping an eye on them). I know that they are safe. Toys don't need to be hauled twice just for an outing. I can sit and watch them play rather then chasing them. Like I say, it is my freedom!

I cannot thank Jeremy and Vernon enough for what they have done for me! They could have easily worked on something else, but they didn't...so THANK YOU!!! I LOVE IT!!!

Love, Jen

We love the water!

It is official...we love the water! We have gone swimming in very warm water to cold water and still love it. They have done a great job with getting use to the water and how to behave in the water. I have taken them swimming by myself on a few occassions, but it is really a two person operation. In a split second they can be under the water, so no sleeping on the job! Liz is definitely the one that likes it the most. She will put her face in the water on purpose and even throw herself under. Even on the colder days with colder water, we still swim for at least an hour, most of the time more. Here are some pictures from a recent day of swimming.
Love, Jen

We love our daddy!!!

Unless you have seen it, I cannot describe in words how these kids light up when they see their daddy when he gets home from work. They hear him the minute he walks in the door and rush to the gate to see him. The biggest smiles await him, most days. They absolutely love playing monster with him. They also love to try to steal his beer. He is a great cuddler too! They have the most excellent father ever!
Love, Jen

Love my baby!

Alex is quite the little lover. We have a baby that the kids take turns taking her for a ride in the stroller. Alex has become quite the "big brother" to her. He gives her hugs and holds her so carefully. If you ask him to go get the baby he will. Here he is lovin' his baby.
Love, Jen

Smiles all around!

When tantrums are not being thrown, we have some of the happiest kids. The love playing with the new treasures I have been bringing home from rummage sales. Alex likes the new firetruck that can hold some of their blocks. Liz loves the new books...hopefully they will not eat these. Zach stick with Henry the horse...giving him a big hug.
Love, Jen

Away with the trays!!!

We have decided to do away with the highchair trays and let the kids sit at the table with us...like big people. They took to it great. It feels great to have the whole family at the table for meals. It is making learning the fork a little more difficult as the table is higher then their trays were but they are still working on it. It also creates a challenge for us and how to place all the hot dishes. Another change but yet another step in growing up. The pictures are of their second meal at the table. They are enjoying breakfast.
Love, Jen

17 months old...Can you believe it?!?!?

Where has the time gone?!?!? Our three little miracles are 17 months old today. I have been thinking a lot about our journey...different things have randomly popped into my head...like the day I found the Triplet Connection Forum...the operating room and our reaction after we heard Alex cry...the first day I was by myself with them - all the doubts and worries...the two weeks I took off of work after the embryo transfer...the different milestones...and on and on! Some times it is like a film playing. It's hard to remember what life was like before the kids.
On Monday we tried out our new pool for the first time. The kids loved it. We were swimming for a little over an hour. The Lenzendorf pool opened at 1:30 on Tuesday and Grandma joined us for a swim. Auntie Jean and Alexis were to join us as well but showed up late. Even though the kids were napping Alexis got to enjoy the water with us adults. So today I was hoping to get the pool cleaned and filled back up but did not get to it as we spent the morning going to Costco with Auntie Jean. They enjoyed going but it tuckered them out especially since we missed our morning nap. The afternoon was pretty much normal. Below is a picture Jeremy took of me and the kids right before bedtime tonight.
Love, Jen
To Alexander, Elizabeth and Zachary - there will be a day that you will read this and I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you how lucky I am to be your mommy! I would not trade this for the world! The three of you simply amaze me! You have taught me so much! We love you more than words can describe!

Leg holding stage

The kids are in that toddler stage of holding onto legs. There have been many falls as the kids grab for our legs as we are walking or may not notice that they are reaching for them. I just had to post this picture as it is so sweet. As you may know, Alex is very attached to his daddy. He gets extremely happy when daddy comes home from work. Today Jeremy arrived home from work while the kids were napping. When Alex woke up and saw daddy for the first time he went straight for his leg.
Love, Jen

Wonderful Week!

I seem to have a lot of pictures taken within the last week so I thought I would share them. As I was downloading them last night, I realized I downloaded them from most recent to least recent. And quite honestly I did not want to take the time to fix it.
These first pictures are of the kids enjoy outside yesterday with Grandma as Grandpa was raking the hay field. They went out to wave to him. Grandma was nice enough to watch them as I got dinner ready. They gave Grandma a run for her money (it was a little comical to watch from the house). Zach and Liz kept running in two different direction, non-stop. Luckily Alex did not moved a lot due to him not being the biggest fan of bare feet in the grass. The first picture is Grandma going to get Zach. The 2nd is Alex enjoying the outdoors and the great breeze. The 3rd is Ms. Liz playing with one of their lawn mowers. Thanks to Grandma for letting me get dinner started with out all the interruptions. I am sure she slept well last night. Gotta love toddlers!



Yesterday we also pulled another toy out of the closet that our mailman had given to us. It is a stroller with a baby. The kids loved it. We also brought back two trucks that we had been taking outside. The pictures below are of Liz first taking the baby for a ride. The 2nd picture is what Liz really wanted to take for a ride....much better than the baby!

Saturday is when Grandpa cut the hay field that is next and behind our house. Jean and Alexis had stopped by to see us for a little while before the kids took their afternoon nap. So all four grandkids got to wave at Grandpa. Then after the kids woke from their nap and just as Grandpa was getting ready to leave, the kids and Roxy kept a close on eye on Grandpa as he drove away. Too cute!!!
Saturday I decided it was time to try utensils again. The kids were showing signs that they could be ready for them with out too big of a mess. So I prepared the messiest meal I could...yup Chef Boyardee's Ravioli! The kids did amazingly well with their new tools to eat!


On Friday night Grandma stopped by with a prescription for me that she had picked up for me. Liz was showing off her new look....her fur (the blanket)....her bracelets (the rings)...and her purse. Isn't she stunning???

On Friday Jean and Alexis came over for a playdate. Alexis brought her purse (an old one of Jean's) with her. The kids loved it as well, so I pulled out a couple of my old purses. Liz thought the purse could be used as a hat...she got upset once she could not get her head out. She then thought she could be a purse model. The boys also enjoyed the purses. We sent the photos to daddy while he was at work.



While playing with the purses, Auntie Jean decided to mess with daddy more. She pretended to paint the toenails of Zach who happened to be holding a purse at the time. Daddy was NOT impressed with the idea. Made for a cute picture though!!!

The Lego table has many uses. It has a square hole in the middle where the net goes to hold the legos. Recently Zach has been starting to take that off daily. As you can see by the pictures playing in the middle of the table is a LOT more fun than the Legos!

The boys playing before bed and Liz hamming it up. You may notice that they only have shirts on, no bottoms. This was due to all their short jammies being in the wash and it being humid. Then lucky me, by the next morning one of them figured out how to get their diaper off. Let's just say we don't want to repeat that ANY time soon.

I am not sure if you remember a picture when the kids were VERY, VERY young...the one with Liz pushing Alex and showing who's boss...well old habits die hard...here she is pushing (yes, pushing) Zach...guess she wanted the chair to herself!

Roxy fits in so well...just another kid! Here are the kids right after waking from their nap.
No mom, we are not doing anything we shouldn't be!!!
We filled the kids activity table with Mega Lego. The kids approve the idea!

Celebrating 8 great years of marriage!

Today Jeremy and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. Gosh the things we have been thru in 8 years. In the ten years that we have been together we have live in 5 different places in two different cities. We have had a roller coaster ride to have the 3 most amazing people in the world. We have grown closer and closer. I was lucky enough to marry my best friend. He is my soul mate. He is an amazing father. I could not imagine life without him. So for all of you who don't believe in whirlwind relationships or love at first sight, we are proof it works. We had our first date April 19th 1998 and engaged on July 3rd, 1998. We did wait a bit to get married, so the engagement part was more "normal". Anyways, just wanted to share with everyone how lucky I am. Below is a picture of the 4 loves of my life. Love, Jen

Diva verses Princess

What is a Princess? A princess always looks her best-dressed nicely in girlie clothes, clean face and hair. She always wears the most "in style" stuff. She would never be caught with a blemish on her face. She always acts like a lady.
What is a Diva? A diva may look out of sorts but still thinks she looks great. She wears what she feels is "in style" and does not care what others think about it. If she has a blemish on her face, she makes it to be no big deal. She may not be the most lady like.
So you may ask what does this have to do with the kids. Well it has to do with Liz. She is a diva for sure!!! Today she has put on quite the show. First, she has a shiner from hitting her cheek bone on Zach's head. Second, she had a leaky diaper and was stripped down to her diaper. Finally, she has quite the girlie expression on her face. All these things and she she strutts around like she is all that...she is too funny.
I hope you enjoy these pictures of our little diva, Liz.
Love, Jen
Fabulous hat...yup that is the shape sorter box...
I am too sexy for my diaper...
Yea, I you should see how the other kid looks...

Happy 4th of July!

Our holiday weekend started out by taking the kids to the West Bend parade on Friday. What a waste of our time. It is NOT the parade I remember. My sister went to the Campbellsport and said it was excellent, so now we know where we will be going next year. The rest of the day was working...I cleaned the house top to bottom while Grandma watched the kids and Jeremy continued to work on the pond. We had our friends Dan, Tandi and Isabelle over for supper that night. No fireworks this year as it is past the kids bedtime not to mention the mosquito factor, so we chose to wait until next year. Not the most exciting 4th for us, but the house is completely clean (done in one day...that has not happened in a LONG time).
Saturday Jeremy was going to help my dad with baling hay, so I decided to take the kids over to their place right away in the morning and spend the whole day. So after breakfast I packed all of the stuff we needed up in the truck and headed over. The kids spent some time playing inside with Grandma's toys and then went down for their morning nap. After we ate lunch it was time to get wet!!! Grandma has Tuggy the Tugboat, which can be filled with sand or water. The kids had a good time. They dried off by playing int he front yard with Grandma's outdoor toys. After their afternoon nap (which was very late due to playing) we ate supper. It was a full table with Grandma and Grandpa, Great Uncle John, Uncle Willie and Auntie Jean and Alexis and us 5. Yes, four highchairs at one table! We headed home just in time for the kids to go to bed...they were exhausted!
Sunday was very similar to Saturday...another day of baling hay, so Jeremy went to help after breakfast. The kids took a nice long nap, so I got a few things while they slept. Once the woke, I got them ready to go grocery shopping with me and Grandma. By the time I got to Grandma's I decided to just have her watch them while I ran. Even though it is not fun time, it is a little alone time for me. I picked up a pool for them and the groceries, of course. After putting the groceries away, Roxy and I headed back out to the farm (Grandma's). The kids were playing outside when I got there. We proceeded to get wet again. This time it was with a small kiddy playarea (it is a very shallow pool with water that sprinkles around the edges. The kids had a blast again (as did Grandma)! After we got dried off and dressed, we headed home for a late afternoon nap. By the time I got them in the house, it was 4:45 (they normally nap at 3).
So that was our "water weekend". The kids are getting better with the water and now with a pool we will try to get out often. I have included pictures from Saturday. Enjoy!
Love, Jen

Snack Table, Closet, Hangers and more...

Weird title, eh? Well this post is a mixture of the many things that have gone on in our house in the last 48 hours.
On Tuesday while the kids and I were at the beach Roxy was at the doctor. No there is nothing wrong (thank goodness) she just needed to have her teeth cleaned. When I picked her up from the doctor she was very happy to see me. I knew she would be tired. Rewind for a moment...the kids got some money from Great Aunt Elaine for Christmas that we used towards some cute papasan chairs...unfortunately the kids were just too small for them to use. Fast forward to a few days ago...the kids have been very interested in climbing the dining room chairs...so out came the papasan chairs...they were a hit. Ok back to Roxy and being tired...so I had the chairs setup and Roxy jumped up into one and got comfy to rest a little. Do you think she likes her new home?!?!?

Yesterday Liz and Roxy had some funny moments together. First was in the morning, I had Liz's papasan chair folded down and Roxy thought it made a good bed. Liz thought it was funny that the dog was in her chair...
Then last night after dinner both Liz and Roxy needed to rest. This time Roxy shared her bed with Liz. Roxy does love the kids!!!

Yesterday was a long day on mommy, in fact one out of three was actually behaving. Mr. Alexander was a good little boy yesterday and was full of smiles for mommy to help make me feel better. How can you not love this little boy???

After the kids did so well coloring at Pizza Hut at the table, I decided that they needed to get a table. Fortunately I had picked one up at a rummage sale a while ago but it was outside (it is more of an outdoor table). So I decided to clean it up and bring it in. Something new in the play area is always an exciting time in our house. Of course there was the exploring period (which includes the temporary loss of hearing....FYI for future mom's of toddlers) and it lasted all day!!!

So not only is the table used for fun time but also snack time. If you have been around the kids for snack time you know that they have to sit before they can get their treat and stay sitting. They know the rule very well. So I threw them a curve ball when I put them at the table but they enjoyed it just as much (if not better) as the floor.
Can you hear them planning the next attack against mom and dad? Triplet meeting in progress....shhhhhh!!!

I'll trade you a Chees-it for an animal cracker.....
Mornings in our house start out in the kids' bedroom. Depending on when they wake up and how fast we get dressed, there is time left to play before heading downstairs for breakfast. The kids have recently realized they can let themselves into the closet. Not a big deal, only one shelf that I am trying to teach them to leave alone. They are good at re-arranging everything and are learning to watch fingers with the doors. Here Alex is trying to open the door to get out.

A few days ago they discovered my box of hangers. Hangers are soooo much better then toys (as I have said in the past, I have no clue why we have toys). This morning the hangers spilled out of the closet...looks like fun doesn't it?!?!?

Not only are hangers fun to pound on things or hit each other with but they make a nice accessory item...necklaces!!!


Well I hope you hae enjoyed this post. I was able to complete it start to finish while they are napping...holy cow!!! It is always interesting in our house, so who knows what will happen in the next 48 hours.

Love, Jen

Day at the Beach!

Last year around the 4th of July my sister and I took the kids (Alex, Liz, Zach and Alexis) to the beach for the very first time. The kids were too small to really enjoy any part of it, but at least we tried. As a refresher here is a picture of the kids last year on the 4th.
We decided to try again this year. My sister did not have to work today and it was suppose to be great weather. So the plan was made...meet at Jean's and go to the park/pool behind her house. So I packed a picnic lunch for the kids and got them alraedy to go while they napped this morning. My mom came right before I woke the kids. We loaded up everything and were headed to Jean's. We played for a bit in the house and then changed the kids into their suits. Here is Alexis in her beautiful swimming suit.
Here are my kids playing with the kitchen that they have too.
Liz, are you ready to go swimming???
We had quite the crew....My mom came to help me with the kids as well as enjoy her grandkids, then there was Jean and Alexis and also Tammy, Jean's friend, and her two boys, Cole & Mason. Everyone enjoyed the afternoon.
Zach throwing sand...
Alex playing in sand...

The kids playing with their sand toys...
Zach helping Alex fill the bucket...
Liz eating a shovel...yummy...
The kids with Cole...
It was a beautiful day! The kids enjoyed playing in the sand and are still getting use to the water. They did great with the picnic. Grandma had a great time watching everyone play. So another successful beach outing. Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Love, Jen