She's here!!!!

Last night we picked up our newest family member. She was known as 'Red' at the rescue but it was only a temporary name so we renamed her to 'Roxy". She was spayed yesterday, so last night she was pretty tired. Today she had a lot more energy. The kids absolutely love her and she loves them...lots of kisses were given today. Baylee does not mind her either, in fact he may have a little more spunk. She is adjusting great! She was a good find...we are very lucky. She is 2 years old and is a perfect mixture of our other beloved girls - her head/face is like Doris and her coloring on her body is like Sam. Here are a few pictures I took this morning. She moves around fast so it was not an easy task to get pictures.

Love, Jen

Memorial Day

We did not do anything exciting on Memorial Day. It turned out to be a beautiful day so we spent 2 hours outside with the kids playing. They got to try using their new sunglasses. It was also their first time with sandals (except Liz). Daddy taught them to come down the slide. We also took off the sandals and walked in the grass barefoot. They were exhausted by nap time. Here are some pictures from the day.
Enjoy.
Jen
Alex is a cool guy with his new glasses!
Zach is all about having fun and letting loose!
Liz loves her hat but the sunglasses are not a favorite yet!
'Do you get on this thing on this side???'

Liz looking so innocent...
Two cool guys!!!
Alex in the teeter totter...
Liz and Zach in teeter totter...
Alex about to go down the slide...

Zach climbing to the landing...
Liz working on her way up to the landing...
'Hey Zach, whatcha eatin'?'
'Mmmm....tasty stick!'

And there they go....

When I let the kids out of the play area for lunch they usually all go a different direction. Today was no different except I had Alex already in his highchair. So I let Liz and Zach out. Zach headed for the stairs and then ended up in the bathroom. As I waited to for Liz to make it to the kitchen, I would keep asking Zach what he was doing. I got Liz in her chair and went to the dining room to check if Zach was there. This is what I found:
Zach had unrolled the toilet paper and dragged it with him, without it ripping (very impressive!). I just had to take a picture of his toilet paper trail. You never know what is going to happen when they are let out of the play area, each time is a surprise.

Mmmmm....sticks....yummy!!!

The kids and I went outside after lunch today. Unfortunately I forgot the camera and there was no way of getting back into the house to grab without losing a kid. ;) So sorry no pics.

I took our bouncing balls outside with us. It has been the best $1.50 we have spent. They love them! I also brought out the chairs that go with our little outdoor table.

Alex stuck around the chairs, climbing on them as well as investigating the area. Liz and Zach were non-stop. Both pushing the limits as to how far I would let them go. Liz picked at the dandelions and Zach found a stick. The more he carried it the shorter it got. Eventually Alex ended up with a stick. They practiced drumming on the chairs with them. Finally, Liz got a stick too. I cannot remember exactly what stick tastes like but it must taste ok! All three had specks of stick/bark on their chins. So they have had their rufage for the day. ;) There was a some meltdowns as the sticks had to stay outside.

So that was our adventure for today. I am hoping to take them to the park soon to play on the swings. I will make sure I don't forget the camera. ;)

Here are some indoor pictures from today.

The boys are wearing their first Brewer gear. They got these bodysuits from Marcus and Renee for their birthday. They are size 18 months...you know what that means...we are getting bigger and bigger.

Here is Liz loving two teddy bears. She has taken a liking to stuff animals the last couple days. The one teddy bear with the red bow is Zach's teddy bear from his godfather Fred.

Expecting a new addition to our family!!!

Today we got to see our new addition to the family. She is so cute and took a spot in our hearts at first sight...I know your probably thinking...how could we not tell anyone we were expecting...well our newest member is a dog!!! So everyone pick your jaw up off the ground and get back in your chair. Even though another child would be great, we are not expecting to have anymore. There is always room in our hearts for another doxie!!! As you may know, when we were pregnant with the triplets we had 3 doxies. December before the kids' birth we had to put down our oldest girl due to kidney failure. Then in August after the kids were born we had to put our other little girl down for Cushings Disease. That left us with Baylee, our first dog we owned. He has had several health problems in the last few months and is just getting old - he is 13 yrs. We want the kids to grow up with a dog and are hoping that another dog may perk Baylee up. We are not replacing any of the dogs, just adding another to our family. So her name is "Red" but that will change (our first dog we will name - we have always kept their names), it is a temporary name the rescue came up with. She is approxiamately 2 yrs old, excellent with kids, other dogs, as well as cats, she is a smooth red. Well will have her home next week. We all enjoyed meeting her.
The other thing we did today was take the kids to their 15 month appointment, no shots just a check up. Every thing checked out good. It was different feeling visiting this time as everyone was able to walk around the room and play. They were all running around the room half-naked. They don't mind going to the doctor at all! So here are the lastest and greatest stats:
Alexander - 6 teeth; 21# (10th percentile); 32 1/2" (90th percentile)
Elizabeth - 7 teeth; 19.6# (10th percentile); 32" (95th percentile)
Zachary - 7 teeth; 21.6# (20th percentile); 32" (80th percentile)
I will keep the blog updated as to when we bring home our new little girl.
Love, Jen

The TV's in jail!!!

Today the kids are 15 months old...can you believe it!!! Well today they are 15 months old and the TV ended up in jail. What the heck am I talking about? Well let me explain...As many have asked me...so is it easier as the kids get older? My answer has been...it is just different challenges. On Monday I was challenged. The kids love climbing on the couch but cannot climb onto it without us removing a cushion. Well Monday that changed...Liz figured out how to remove the cushion so they could play on the couch. That in itself is not a big deal...the big deal is they can escape once they are on the couch. How did I figure this out? Well I washed Liz up after breakfast and brushed her teeth and put her in the play area. Next was Zachary...as I brought him to the play area there was little ole Liz sitting on the couch playing like it was totally normal for her to be there. So the brainstorming began Monday night. How are we going to contain them? The best thing for us to do was to get a gate for the doorway and put the jail around the TV and things to keep their hands off. So I finally found a gate and picked one up yesterday. So it was time to rearrange the living room last night. We moved things around at least twice, with not a good result. So this morning I rearranged the furniture for the final time. And the best arrangement was to put the TV in jail (see pictures below). So again it is neither good or bad that they are getting older, it is both. We are just put to a challenge every now and again. BTW, the kids are loving the new setup.
Love, Jen

Some handsome boys!!!

I could not resist posting these pictures. The kids love emptying the small boxes from the toybox (they hold all the smaller toys) and then sitting in them. I took these pictures on May 5th. I know I may be just a little bit bias, but aren't these two of the most handsome boys you ever have seen. They obviously get that from their handsome daddy!!!

Pictures from Mother's Day

Here is the gang with my new shirt...it says 'Yes, they're ALL mine!' and I wouldn't change it for the world.
Our first time eating out as a family. Here the kids are prior to entering Wendy's. They were a hungry crew when we got there. It was not busy, thankfully. We pulled up the 3 highchairs and put on the Wendy'd bibs. I went to order our food while Jeremy entertained them. There was a couple that stopped to ask how old they are, but that was all the attention we got, again thankfully. The kids enjoyed themselves. They ate chicken nuggets, fries and milk. They looked around and took it all in. By the time they finished eating they were talking and having a grand ole time. We took a few pictures while we were there...some are pretty funny. The kids did get a toy with their value meals, which they liked as well. Now that we have been thru it once it will get easier and easier to do it more often...the key is 3 highchairs.
Liz watching daddy put on Zach's bib while snacking on some puffs...
Zach snacking on puffs prior to the meal...
Alex chewing on his first Wendy's food... Zach washing some fries down with a cold milk...

Liz going in for another handful... Alex really likes the meal...
Zach asking daddy if he's gonna eat his food...
Yes Liz...last picture!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies, mommies-to-be, grandmothers, godmothers, etc.! Today is a very special day for me (as well as many others) that I hold very near and dear to my heart. So far my day has been great. Jeremy put the monitor by his head last night, so I did not have to get up with them. Then he was the when that got up with them at 6:15 and played with them and then dressed them for the day. He not only fed them breakfast but made breakfast for me. I was able to stay in bed until 8...it was heaven...even though I did not sleep all that time it was great just to be able to relax! The kids had daddy write me a nice letter (we hate store bought cards) and gave me a great t-shirt that says in the front 'Got triplets?' and then on the back it says 'Yes they are all mine' with three heads (2 boys and a girl obviously). I will have to get a picture taken with the kids with it on once they get up from their nap. The plan for the day is to start a family tradition of Mother's Day lunch. It is a big deal as this will be the first time we will be taking the kids out to eat. Where are we taking them you ask? Wendy's...we were there a while back and noticed that they did have 3 highchairs (a very important things for us). So we figured it would not be too busy today and we should have a good experience...maybe next year we will try to do a little restuarant. We will run out to Grandma's to see her and give her a card (the present is still being worked on by the kids). Then back home for a relaxing afternoon...probably will work on organizing the 18 month clothes as they are starting to grow out of 12 month stuff...also will help me know what to look for at rummages. So not too exciting yet to get something accomplished would feel great!
Again, Happy Mother's Day.
Love, Jen

Photo Shoot

Today we had a photographer come out to take the kids one year pictures...yes I do realize we are a little late on it as they will be 15 months old this week. We had the photographer that did my sister Jackie's wedding as well as the Turner family photos. He is extremely nice and affordable! He does this as a side job and does an excellent job. So instead of taking the kids to his home studio, we felt it would probably go better if he came here. So he did...he took over 200 pictures and was here only an hour! We are looking forward to seeing the proofs. We got pictures inside and out as it was a nice day for it (thank goodness). We did get a family pictures as well as Jeremy and I separate with the boys and then with just Liz. I am hoping they turn out good. So once we get to look at them, order some and get them to the appropriate people, I will post the link so everyone can see them.
Quick funny story from Friday...Friday morning is bath morning. Everyone is in the bath tub at once and I do one by one. As they are dried they are put in their room. Liz was first and then Zach was done. When I came to put Alex in the room I could hear Zach but could not find him...there are not many places to hide in their room. I finally found him on the bottom shelf of the changing table hiding amongst the blankets. He was just a giggling away! What a goofy little boy!
Love, Jen

First girlfriend...maybe!!!

Our friends, Tandi and Dan welcomed their first child, a little princess named Isabelle, into this world on April 7th. We have been and still are so excited for them. Even though parenthood is very scary, it is so worth it. The first time Tandi stopped by with Izzy, my trio was sleeping, so they did not get to meet her. So yesterday Tandi came to visit with Isabelle....this time the kids were up. As I held Isabelle, the kids came to check her out. Zach was more interested in Tandi's bling (her necklace) - he loves bling. Liz was not sure about her...she wanted to touch her but was hesitant. Alex was on the couch with me and was sitting about a foot away. When he finally came over to check her out, he smiled at her and then started acting shy with hiding behind me and then would smile at her again. It was so cute!!! He is so his daddy!!! Izzy needed to be changed, so I handed her to Tandi and Alex got upset, like we had taken his toy away. Could it be love?!?!? I am happy that they got to meet and that they will be playmates. Thank you Tandi for the adult conversation as well as the treat you brought...both are greatly appreciated! I did not take any pictures but will the next time we get together.
Love, Jen

Facelift needed!!!

We need to do a facelift on this blog!!! It has been well over a year since we first created it. I have other blogs I visit daily and some are changed often, so that has given me the urge to make our a little more exciting. This is where you come in...are there specific things you would like to see...do you have any ideas you'd like to share?
You may have also noticed that if you try to leave a comment there is a letter phrase you have to type in or you cannot make a comment. I had also added that we would moderate comments, but have since disabled that to make it easier for comments to be made. This was done due to spam being left for comments. I LOVE getting comments but I prefer them to be from people that actually care not some spammer. So keep the comments coming...we read each one and enjoy knowing that people are reading/visiting the blog.
Finally, you may have noticed that I am posting more regularly. I am trying to keep the most updated pictures and happenings posted. I was trying to do a big batch of pictures for each month but that was getting more and more difficult as it takes a long time to load all the pictures into one post. So to simplify things for me and so you can see the most recent things, I will be doing little (or big) posts often.
Again, your opinion is wanted. We do this blog to keep everyone updated and if there is something you would like us to try to do or would like to see let us know.
Thanks in advanced.
Jen

It feels GOOD to be free!!!

I must say I am loving not being housebound!!! It is nice to be able to enjoy the nice weather outside of the house. Last year I enjoyed warm, sunny days by opening the windows. Yesterday after lunch we got ready and headed outside for some playtime. It is the first time I packed them all up and took them all outside by myself. It is tricky as I do not have enough arms and hands to carry all three plus they are pretty heavy to be carrying all at once. To put them in a vehicle is not a big deal as they are strapped in so I can bring them out one at a time but I cannot leave them unattended outside as they are quick and extremely curious. Took about 30 minutes to get shoes and jackets on, bag packed with snacks, sippys, diapers, wipes, camera, sunscreen, hats, etc. I packed the boys into the double stroller and carried Liz. Prior to taking the kids out, I took the toys out and picked out our spot. It was a little difficult manuvering through the rough grass with the stroller but we made it. The kids had a blast!!! We had a little snack and then they went exploring. Zachary had found a pinecone, so we had to find one for everyone. Of course they did end up in the mouths a couple times. Grandma showed up just before we were going to pack up. She has not seen the kids for a long time due to being sick, so she was happy to give a helping hand to get the kids back in the house. Below are a few pictures of the kids discovering pinecones. Enjoy.

Love, Jen

Wild Weekend of First - long post

Happy Monday to everyone!!! It was an weekend of firsts for the kiddos. It all started Friday night and ended Sunday afternoon. I have included pictures of some of the events.
Friday night Jeremy went to hang out with some guy friends, so the kiddos and me were on our own. I had done some research during the week of activities that the kids should be doing. Since they are not in daycare they depend on me to introduce them to new things and to keep their development going. One of the things listed was coloring. After investing in some jumbo crayons, we tried to color(scribble) for the very first time. It was interesting to watch the kids investigate the crayons. They spent more time eating/sucking on the crayons rather than coloring. All in all it well for the first time. We did end up with a little bit of crayon stuck on our teeth.

Alex trying to figure out what to do with the crayon....

well do with it what we do with everything...put it in our mouth!

Zach did do some scribbling after mommy showed him how, but the crayon did spend some time in his mouth as well.

Liz took some time but did make some dots but it is hard for a crayon to work well after spending time in a mouth.

Saturday night was the first time that we babysat for my niece, Alexis since the kids have been home. I did babysit her while the kids were in the NICU. Jean dropped her off about 5 and picked her up a little after 10. After Jean left, Alex followed her around talking to her...it was too cute. Her and Zach had a little tug of war contest with a book, but eventually everyone had their own book (as you can see in the picture below). She did a good at dinner and ate far more than I expected her to eat. She put on her jammies the same time the kids did and laid down for sleep shortly after they went to bed. The kids liked having her here as she can teacht hem things as well as them teach her things.

Alex and Alexis read and talking to one another.
Alexis not real sure which toy to play with first. It can be a little overwhelming with the amount of toys these kids have, yet their favorite toys are the darn coasters.
Alexis asking Zach something (it was in toddler talk so I have no clue).
GIRL POWER!!! Liz was happy to not be out numbered.

Alexis did find a familiar toy and proceeded to teach the kids how to open the battery pack. Not all things taught are good. ;)

Saturday night my Uncle Jim was down from Minocqua. He was working on some things up at the farm house and decided to stop down to see the kids (for the very first time). Luckily I had all four kids, although he has met Alexis before. The play area was a disaster when he got here, so Jeremy quickly made a path to the couch for him. But before he could get to the couch Zachary ran up to him. Uncle Jim picked him up and even though he has never met him before Zach was just a smiling as you can see in the picture below.
He eventually did make it to the couch. Alexis brought many toys to him and Liz helped hold on to some of them. Alex was busy walking around talking. Liz climbed up onto the couch to play and ended up on Uncle Jim's lap. We took a few pictures but the flash was not working properly so the pictures are a little dark. She also went right to him as if she knew he was a good guy. We were happy he made it down to see them before bedtime. We are looking forward to planning a trip "up north" to Minocqua to visit Uncle Jim and Aunt Deb some time soon.
Sunday started out pretty ordinary but by lunch time the "firsts" started to happen. For lunch I decided to give the kids their very first PB & J (peanut butter and jelly) sandwich. They loved it, of course (not much these kids won't eat). Used a clever little tip from a fellow triplet mom, to cut up a PB&J sandwich....use a large pizza cutter-makes it much easier and fast. After lunch we had decided to take them on a walk-first one for 2008. Although it is quite the process to get things ready to go and to actually get out...it is well worth it. The railroad tracks that are right by our house were turned into a walking trail. So we walked from Lighthouse Lane to Barton Avenue and back-about a 3 mile trip. The kids loved the fresh air as did we (not mention the exercise). All the people we met on the trail were nice and we actually did not get stopped at all. We did have one person comment as we passed but that was it.

Here is the crew prior to leaving...Zach was getting a little impatient but we did make it out before a major meltdown happened. Instead of taking the triplet stroller we opted for the double and the single-then we both have a stroller to push. The last (or first time) they were ever in these strollers was May 28th (last year). They could barely hold their own heads up. That time we basically got them in the strollers, went half way across the driveway and came back in. What a difference a year makes!!! Last time Alex was in front and Zach in back...as you can see Alex was real pleased. :)

Daddy pushed the boys. It was not until we were almost home that they figured out they could mess with each other. Zach was in the front and Alex figured out he could pull on his jacket, so Zach attempted to turn around to "fight back" but did not get far due to the straps.

Mommy pushed Liz who talked most of the way.
We could not leave the house without our faithful dog, Baylee. He use to love walks before and if his body would allow him he would still love them but old age is a bugger. We felt he would love the fresh air too. The single stroller has the compartment below and Baylee fit in it perfectly. So we put some towels in for him to lay on and he went on the walk too. As you can tell, he enjoyed himself as he did not have to do any work.

Once we got back from the walk we let the kids play a little before napping. While Jeremy was working on getting the strollers out for the walk he pulled out a Lego table we had gotten from Matt our mailman. So the kids were very excited to play with that...something new.

The final first thing for the day was after supper. Jeremy cleaned the kids up from supper and I changed them into their jammies and then decided to try out our first toothbrush and our training toothpaste. The kids loved it. At first I just did water to see how they would react to the toothbrush. Up to this point I had cleaned their teeth with a washcloth, so I was not sure how they would react to the toothbrush. They did great though....opened their mouths nicely and sat patiently. Tooth count: Alex & Liz-6 and Zach-5.

What a great weekend of first!!! First coloring experience, first time babysitting, first time meeting Great Uncle Jim, first PB&J, first walk for 2008, first Lego table and first toothbrush...can you say your weekend was this exciting?!?!? I hope you enjoyed this lengthy update.

Love, Jen