Bubbles and Storytime

Jackson now associates Tuesdays with storytime at the local library.  (FYI, all pictures were taken on different Tuesdays, hence the wardrobe changes.)  Storytime means three things:

 

singing "Open Shut Them",  

 

popping bubbles,

 

 and getting a sticker.

Since the storytime teacher is the only one that blows bubbles, Jackson normally wants to blow his own bubbles when we get home.  The babies are more intrigued by the floating bubbles than Jack.

 

I think we all look forward to the free, educational entertainment each week.

12 Week Photos

James, Amelia, and Madeline are 12 weeks old today! 

 

While the trio are usually full of smiles, this is unfortunately a more accurate representation of our rainy Monday blues:

 

I'll write a detailed post on their milestones next week when they are officially 3 months old. 

So Many People

We had a whirlwind of a weekend visiting many friends and family members.  Jesse stayed after school Friday afternoon so he could attend the homecoming game.  Knowing he wouldn't get home until after 9 pm, I decided to spend the day with my sisters.  My kids don't know how blessed they are to be born into a big family with so many aunts, uncles, and cousins that love them.  Everywhere we go, the trio are welcomed like this: 

 

 

After spending a few hours with my middle sister, I drove to my oldest sister's house.  Jackson borrowed his cousin's tricycle and joined the big kids in bicycling up and down the street.  My oldest brother, neighbor, and family friends all came over to see the triplets.   

 



We then gorged ourselves on mashed potatoes, roast, and carrot cake.  All four kids were beyond tired at this point since none of them had taken their usual two hour afternoon nap.  Lots of crying ensued.  I had to remove Jackson from the dinner table to give him a stern warning because he chose to spit his food out repeatedly.  The babies were crying and hungry while we ate.  Once Jackson got himself together he ended up falling out of his chair and nearly busting his lip on the table.  It was time to go!

Saturday proved to equally busy.  The morning was spent grocery shopping, cleaning, baking, and doing yardwork.  Next on the agenda was catching up with former coworkers at an afternoon playdate.  Seeing Jackson interact at the playdate reminded me how much Jackson likes to play with his peers.  I'm hoping to enroll him in a morning-out program a few days a week starting in January. 

Jesse's parents were already at our house by the time the kids and I returned home.  Jackson was elated to spend time with his MiMi and PaPa.  Unfortunately, the playdate interrupted our nap schedule once again, which resulted in four very cranky children by 7 pm.

The whole family ended up sleeping in until 9 am this morning!  While the sleep was much needed, we were quite rushed to get out the door for church.  In honor of World Communion Sunday, our church service partnered with the Latino community.  The entire service was bilingual, and we had a church potluck afterwards with a variety of ethnic dishes.  I don't know much Spanish, but I at least know how to say "Si. Tres bebes.  Dos ninos y un nino."   I kept repeating that with each inquiry. 

 

There were indoor and outdoor games set up to play after lunch.  I managed to capture this fun shot of Jackson catching a football. 

 

That brings us up to speed.  I'm not sure what our plans entail for the remainder of the day.  I hope to wear pajamas, eat popcorn, and take lots pictures of our almost 12 week old babies! 

 

Carrot Cake Connoisseur

My mother instilled in me the belief that food, especially dessert, can cure anything.  Over the years I have developed a true love of baking and cake decorating. My sister would always challenge my decorating abilities by requesting different cakes for nieces' birthday parties.  Adults would request certain flavors that would force me to play around with various recipes until I found the right consistency or taste. 

 

My online triplet group has Photo Friday with a different theme each week.  Last week it was to make a collage of your favorite hobby or something that expresses you as an individual (besides being a mother).  I made a montage of some of my favorite cakes:

 

 

 

I guess people took pity on me while being pregnant and a new mom of triplets because nobody seems to want me to bake anything these days!  After inviting myself (and 4 children) over to my oldest sister's house for dinner, I told her I would make a dessert of their choice.  My brother-in-law's request was carrot cake.

 

I never haphazardly pick a recipe.  I spend a good hour scrutinizing different recipes online and reading each review.  I finally decided on this Paula Deen recipe and made a few modifications.  I used the classic cream cheese icing that I always make (8 oz cream cheese, 8 oz butter/shortening, vanilla, and enough powdered sugar 'til it looks right). 

 

To start, let me tell you what a pain in the ass it is to grate a whole bag of carrots.  The carrots are so thin and wet they just slide around.  It's a miracle I didn't cut myself.   Here are the numerous nubs that remained: 

 

 

I had planned to bake the cake the night before, once all the kids were in bed.  My own desire to sleep won over.  This led to a baking experience the following morning that took twice as long and was full of constant distractions. Jackson had to go to time out twice; once for continuously opening and swinging on the oven door while it was preheating and once for repeatedly trying to cut the ends of the carrots off with a sharp knife.  Amelia supervised on the counter.  Maddie was either held or in the Ergo.  And I rocked James in a bouncer with my foot.

 

Despite the many interruptions, the cake was delicious!  Confession time: the recipe makes a 3-layer cake.  Jackson and I ate so much of the batter I only made a 2-layer cake.

My brother-in-law was genuinely impressed and gave the cake rave reviews.  (How can you ever go wrong with Paula Deen?)  Jesse ate a slice with his morning coffee and exclaimed "This is your best cake yet!"  After the positive feedback, I decided to make it again the next day.  I needed something to bring to a playdate this afernoon, dessert for the in-laws who were coming over for dinner tonight, and the church potluck on Sunday afternoon.  Because of the numerous functions, I decided to make cupcakes.  I'm a firm believer that taking the extra two minutes to swirl icing on with a fancy tip makes it taste better than smearing it with a spatula.

 

And just for fun, I decided to use my cupcake tip (Wilton #230) to fill the middle with cream cheese icing as well,  They were well-received once again.  YUM!

 

 

 

Send your baking requests this way...

Soccer and Sunshine

Jackson likes to do anything that his big cousin does.  Since his cousin is now on a soccer team, Jack wants to play soccer, too.  There are quite a few parks nearby and we go to different ones for different purposes (feeding geese, going for long walks, biggest slides, etc).  Today I picked a park that has large soccer fields.  We brought our soccer ball and had a blast.  Jackson and I alternated being goalie and kicking the ball.  When it was Jack's turn to be goalie, he mostly tangled himself in the net. 

 

 

When it was his turn to run, he kicked the ball in whatever direction he wanted or just picked it up and threw it.  At one point he stopped and sat in the field because he had grass in his shoes.  I suppose that's to be expected for a two year old.

 

 

And just for fun, the girls got to kick the soccer ball around, too!

We had a picnic lunch.  This time I remembered to bring a blanket and we found a nice shady spot under a tree.  It was so pleasant to stretch out and cool off in the 80+ degree heat. 

I've been letting Jackson become increasingly more independent.  I used to be the mom who stood behind her son as he climbed every single rung of the ladder, waiting to catch him if he fell.  Having the triplets and gaining confidence in Jackson's abilities has allowed me to evolve into the mom who sits on the bench or stands from a distance and encourages him.  While Jack played, the babies napped. 

Two hours later, we left tired and sweaty, both signs of a successful morning at the park!

Multitasking

 

As a teacher, I've always been good at multitasking.  I always referred to my classroom as organized chaos.  Even though I've gone from juggling 24 kids to 4 kids, there's just as much going on at any given time during the day.  Here's a slight glimpse into portions of my day:

This morning I pumped in the garage while blowing bubbles, rotating babies among activity mats, bouncers, and tummy time, and watching Jackson "mow the lawn". 

Then I simultaneously fed all three babies (with the use of pillows as bottle props) while stuffing inserts into diapers and putting them away.

I managed to hop in the shower while the girls napped, James played on an activity mat in the pack-n-play, and Jackson brushed his teeth for 10 minutes.  (FYI, I can't leave the babies unsupervised on the floor or bed because Jackson can't be trusted alone with them.)

I pumped while driving the kids to visit their MiMi at work, fed them while talking to her coworkers, and pumped while driving back home. 

As soon as the kids were home and napping, I folded laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, and began cooking dinner all at once.  This was, of course, interrupted by having to soothe fussy babies.

 

Just once I'd like to finish one task before starting another.  Life has become a never-ending relay race, except there's no one to pass the baton to from 7 am-5 pm.  I always envisioned having a lot of downtime as a stay-at-home mom.  How naïve I was! 

October Happiness

There's something about October that makes me relaxed and happy.  Perhaps it's the reminder of God's creation with the vibrant colors as the leaves change.  Or the comfort in being able to throw on jeans and a sweatshirt on cool fall nights.  It could be celebrating another year of marriage with my loving husband.  Or the fun annual family traditions such as hayrides and candy swaps.  It could be weekend outings to the pumpkin patch and Renaissance Festival.  Then there's always the much needed extra hour of sleep on Daylight Savings.  So much to appreciate!

 

I am thankful that the babies are especially relaxed and happy these days, too!

 

Happy Maddie and James

Sweet Big Brother

"Hey, Mom!"

Amelia Caroline

 

Love, love, love 'em!