The Kennedy Triplets

All About Sarah

2009-09-15T14:27:00.004-05:00

We've got some catching up to do later, but for right now this post is all about Sarah and her first field trip. Her class is learning about Trees, so they took a field trip to one of our local forest preserves along the Des Plaines River at the Isle A La Cache museum. Meva and I have taken the kids there before, so it was a return trip for the two of us.

Yesterday was a tough evening around the house because the boys didn't want to listen to daddy and wouldn't clean up their toys, but Sarah was very helpful and worked really hard despite "those boys aren't helping Daddy!" so I let the cat out of the bag early. I shared a special secret with her and told her that I would be coming to school with her and riding the bus with her on the field trip, but it was a secret and she couldn't tell "those boys." She never did, which was pretty cool. She was a little upset that I didn't ride the bus with her from the house in the morning, but I whispered to her that I would drive our van to school and see her there and she seemed to be OK with that.

So once I got to her classroom, I walked through the doorway and one of the greatest moments in my life happened. Sarah saw that I was there and everything else in the world was completely unimportant---her face just lit up and she yelled, "My Daddy!" over and over as she opened her little arms out as wide as possible and ran up to me. I got great big hugs and I was plastered with a barrage of kisses! There are few moments that will top that I'm sure.

So I met her teachers and her and she showed me her room a little before we sat down and played puzzles while we waited to go. Once on the bus, we sat together and practiced signing colors and common words until we got to the Forest Preserve and walked the trails learning about trees and seeing frogs, a turtle, fish, and a few cranes. Sarah loved climbing over the logs and collecting leaves. She also learned that water can work like a mirror and we both waved to "Water Sarah & Water Daddy" from the top of a walkway bridge. Then we had a mini picnic (sorry Nana, we didn't make it to a cemetery for this one) and ate our snacks next to the river before playing Duck Duck Goose and going back to school. We both had a really nice time and a great adventure! Double click the pictures below to see bigger images.

Sarah on a Rock in front of the river trying to keep the sun out of her eyes AND smile for Daddy. If you look behind her you can see the bridge were we saw our "Water" counterparts.

A big part of their learning is touching things, so what better way to learn about trees than to become a tree hugger? She even has a "big" leaf that she found and carried around with her.

Always the leader, she motivated the other kids to follow her example.

Further along the way the path narrowed through some tall prairie grass. We named it tickle grass since it tickles little kids when they walk by.

Finally, here is a bit of video of Sarah learning to play Duck Duck Goose. They say that the chase is the best part and I think Sarah agrees with them.

Quick Update

2009-08-28T19:06:00.002-05:00

Now that the kids are in school, they are getting exposed to a greater level of socialization. One of the aspects of that is seeing their peers using a "potty." This has motivated Meva and I to step up our efforts at home since this is being modeled and pushed at school as well.

Surprisingly, it is hazardous.

How? Today one of the boys had an "accident" in the kitchen. Unfortunately I wasn't informed of it and ended up walking into the puddle, slipped, and twisted my knee. Yep, I now have a potty training injury! I'm guessing that only a parent can fully appreciate this.

First Day of School!!!

2009-08-25T08:54:00.006-05:00

Out of fear for my life, I have shoved all ideas of domestic productivity aside so that I could include this special first day of school update!! Mostly this prevents an angry visit from Nana & Papa to personally kick me in the tookus!

Wow, what a first day!! After going to a special "Meet & Greet" day yesterday, the triplets all had a chance to meet their teachers and see their classrooms. It was such a great help for them to get used to the idea of school and seeing who they would be spending time with away from Mom and Dad. The kids all enjoyed their time there and cried when we told them it was time to go back home, but once they left we spent the rest of the day going over what to expect and what their teacher's names are.

So this morning I got the kids up at 7am so that they could catch the bus in front of our house at 7:56am according to the bus company. I was a bit concerned about them sitting on the bus for almost an hour (they are scheduled to arrive at school at 9am) but as we were already outside waiting, the bus driver called us and said she wouldn't be picking them up until 8:16 or so. Meva and I were very happy about this.

We started the kids day off with a special breakfast of apple juice, pumpkin pancakes, and brain food (vitamins and fish oil) and had them dressed, fed and ready 10 minutes early for the original time. That's absolutely unheard of for us! It was awesome. But they ate and we waited again for the bus and when it arrived we loaded them up and got them in their seats. They were eager to go and there wasn't one tear or breakdown out of any of them. In fact, Sarah got tired of me taking pictures and told me "Go down the stairs Daddy!" I guess it was time to go!

The quiet of the house was weird, a little scary, and surreal once the kids left. There was even this strange and attractive women here that said she was my wife. It was bizarre for both of us, but we handled it as well as the kids. Deep down I know they are good kids and when it came right down to it, I trust them to behave and handle the situation. It's strange to say that at 3 years, but it's true.

When they got home, it was more of the same confident faces greeting me. They all told me they had a good time at school and the only one who had any meltdown was Perrin, but that wasn't until I told him Mommy was at work.

Sarah has a first year teacher, Mrs. Tawny and is in the Deer class. She is very nice, but did not send home any note to describe how Sarah's first day went. Apparently this will be a year of growth for both teacher and student, but that's fine.I took the absence of news as an indication that she was fine today, which I expected. She has 8 kids in her class and there are three adults, so she has plenty of socializing opportunities.

Perrin is in the Owl class and his teacher is Ms. Diane. I believe there are only 6 kids in Perrin's class. She sends home a daily sheet that chronicles what he did and what he played with. I included today's copy at the bottom of this post. He read a book, went to the playground, played with blocks, did math games, and participated in music.

Ryan is in Ladybug class with Mrs. Nancy. His class has 4 kids and 3 adults, which will allow for him to be attended to very easily. I think that will be a huge benefit for him more than the other two. Ms. Nancy reported that Ryan had a good day as well. He also went to the playground and came back with a photo of him on a big kid swing all by himself! That was a wonderful surprise. Ryan also received a certificate for successfully completing his first day in the Ladybug Class, the first of many awards I am sure!

And that has been their first day of school! It's getting to be nap time for them and they are starting to show they've had an early and busy day. Below are the pictures, and even a video, from today. Click on any photo to enlarge it!

Holding hands and waiting for the bus

Hey, Mom's Taking Pictures. GET HER!!!

Is that Our Bus Coming? Where Are Our Backpacks?

Here's Ryan & His Monkey.

Sarah Has Her Pig.

Perrin Hides Behind His Dog.

Off To Catch The Bus.

The Bus Pulled Right Up To The Driveway & The Triplets Got On Board

Ryan Was Buckled In And Ready To Go

Perrin Waves Goodbye

Daddy, Go Down The Stairs!!!

This Is A Weird Picture. I Caught A Reflection Off The Buss Window, But If You Look Closely You Can See Each Kid Smiling And Me Too!

This Is Perrin's First Day Report

Ryan's Certificate

And Finally, Little Ryan On A Big Kid Swing!!

Daddy's Not Ready

2009-08-21T15:49:00.005-05:00

Well, as I write this it is only 4 days until the triplets start preschool!! I can hardly believe it, especially when I think about everything that Perrin has gone through since he was born just 3 short years ago. It's just amazing.

On Tuesday the school district had a "getting to know your bus" orientation for preschool and kindergarten students. The district put on a pretty big event that had a carnival atmosphere to it, complete with Moon Jumps, Clowns, Balloon Animals, Caricature Artists, Face Painting, and Train Rides. They also had free snacks and juice for the kids. The idea was to give kids some experience with a school bus and what to expect for their first day.

This is where I found out that I am not really ready for this. Why? Well at the risk of coming off as pretentious and conceited, it was that I got to meet and see other parents and their kids. A bunch of ill-mannered, poorly behaved, and anti-social people modeling behaviors that will eventually lead to long parent conferences and discipline actions were in abundance. And the kids, while not to blame, were worse. I shudder at the habits that will rub off onto the triplets.

The best example I can give is when I had to take the kids to get their individual bus ID's. I had them in their train and I took them out one at a time for their ID's. Sarah sat in the back and when I took her out, there were parents actually telling their kids to climb into the train and play!!! You know it takes a lot for me to be stunned, but I was speechless for a few seconds. My anger must have been apparent because the mother (most parents were mothers) grabbed her kid quickly and said, "Let's Go," to which I was quick to reply, "Yeah, we aren't part of the festivities." or something very close. Sadly, I think the mom didn't know what festivities meant.

The other thing which appalled me was seeing other parents views on how they react to the word FREE. I know that many of the preschool families consist of the most economically challenged percentage of any school district, but there was more than one mother who brought shopping bags with them and filled them with the "free" bags of gold fish crackers, popcorn, and juice boxes. It was definitely an eye opener for me!

Despite there being close to 300 people there, the main focus of introducing your child to the whole bus experience was not being taken advantage of. The line I thought was for the bus, was not moving at all and packed with horrible people, kids, and strollers, all acting in ways that made me want to take off my belt for the lot of them. I turned away rather than stand in that line and walked around a little more. I chose not to give up and went back about 20 minutes later and the line was practically the same. Luckily I asked a worker about it and she told me that it was the line for the sketch artist!! She pointed to the buses and said no one is in line, so you can just go!!

I couldn't believe it. The whole point of that event was for the bus and these people were more concerned with getting balloons and sketches for their kids!! I still considered not going through with it because I knew I'd have to leave our train behind while on the bus and I really feared someone might take it. When I explained my concerns the helper offered to watch the train for me, so we all went for a bus ride.

The kids did great walking up the stairs and getting in their seats. It's a big change from 35 years ago when I was in kindergarten, mostly noticeably the seat belts. The bus driver was wonderful. He was a bit Santa-like in appearance but he was patient, slow, and talked softly and comfortably to the kids. That helped them quite a bit. We only went a couple of blocks, but it was enough for them to get a good feel for a bus ride. The boys were fine and very happy about being in their "seat belts," but Sarah was almost terrified at everything. I had to sit with her for awhile and talk her through the whole process before she accepted it and started to have fun.

They all commented on how the bus was Loud and as Ryan said, "It's Berry Bumpy Daddy." When we got done we got off the bus and the kids did very good on the big steps getting down. With everything Perrin deals with, I thought he did exceptional!

So, I despite going I'm still not convinced they will do well the first couple of days on the bus. I sincerely hope I can go with them on the bus rides the first day, but I am betting that's a no-no.

Monday is the official "Meet & Greet" day for them. We'll get to go and see their classrooms and meet their teachers so that they have at least some small idea about what to expect. We will let you know all about that afterwards.

Until then, here are some more pictures of the bus and some more that I found. Click for enlargements.

Ryan experimenting with the camera.

Photo By Sarah. That's a bow on her head. Perrin wasn't interested in doing this.

Waiting for the big kids to get out of the Moon Jump

Getting Ready For Their First School Bus Ride

Sarah sitting in the bus with her seat belt.

Ryan, happy to be on a "Berry Bumpy Bus"

Perrin almost being strangled by his seat belt. I didn't like that one so I am hoping not to put him in a seat like that on Tuesday.

That's it for now. I'll try and get their ID picture scanned---Those are hilarious!!

Grandma Brings The Thunder

2009-08-13T14:18:00.022-05:00

My mother-in-law recently threatened me over the lack of updates to this blog. Since she is due to come and spend this weekend at the house, I figure it best for my health to appease and push back her wrath!!

It's been an incredibly busy summer and posting here hasn't been even close to any kind of priority, but we have been taking some pictures and Meva has chipped in with stories from my emails to let everyone know how things are going, at least to a degree.

The big news is that the kids will all be going to pre-school this year through the local Head Start program. Perrin and Ryan qualified based on their current diagnosis with Early Childhood Development and Sarah qualified on the basis of being born premature and not wanting to "break up the band." I will give more insight to that at a later date after we know a bit more.

So far this summer we've been to Ohio twice I believe, once for a visit with Grandma and Grandpa, and the other for Meva's sister Missy's wedding. Unfortunately we were planning on a vacation just prior to the wedding, but our mini-van coughed it's last breath and we decided to spend our vacation at a car dealership! In the long run this is a much better fit because this van (another Dodge Grand Caravan, but 2005 model) is in all around better condition, has more room, stow and go seats, and a drop down DVD player for the kids. Let me tell you that I would kiss the person who made my long distance trips so much more bearable!

Anyways, here's the first batch of pictures. They go from Missy's wedding, the birthday party, and just some other fun stuff. As always, double click the photo to see a bigger image.

We were the first ones at the rehearsal dinner. Can you believe they stood together like this long enough for a photo?

This might be one of the nicest photo's Ryan has ever taken.

Of course isn't one of Sarah's best, but she gets points for being a ham.

And what's ham without a little "Cheeeeeeeese" to go with it?

Due to holidays, weddings, car troubles, and a crowded birthday season, we didn't celebrate with an actual big party until the middle of July. Luckily the triplets have yet to master a Calendar and they were none the wiser for the delay. This year it was Meva's turn to make the cakes, and she really outdid herself!! A while ago our good friend Colleen bought the kids some hats that she thought were cute, almost as a second thought I'm sure. Anyways, its always something like that which turns out to be one of the more prized items a kid has. They LOVE, and I mean LOVE those hats to the point they will only take them off to sleep and shower. So in honor of their hats, Meva made them each a hat cake!

There they are, lined up in a row-- Monkey, Dog, & Pig

Sarah posing with her pig cake.

Ryan Monkey follows suit!

Followed by the Perrin Dog. Notice his dog hat has one less eye than the cake?

I stepped up and took care of that, so now the cake and hat match!!

Newlyweds Missy and Corey were on hand. Afterwards they quit their jobs and ran away to the mountains of Vermont!! Hippies!

The triplets were blessed with so many wonderful gifts, but these Medieval outfits from Uncle Gooey (Louie) and Aunt Sharon were big hits!

Grandma Muriel helps Princess Sarah get dressed while Mommy helps Sir Fudd with his armor. Sarah's princess robes are almost as bright as Nana's socks!!
(Threaten me will you????)

Sir Ryan has discovered his outfit comes with an inflatable Excalibur.

By The Power Of Grey Skull!!!

It's always the Knight with the shunt that takes the inflatable sword to the noggin!!

I'm getting old as you can see. I don't remember why we had them in pajama's to bust open their Batman Pinata. Here I'm helping Perrin work on his swing.

Ryan is still in a zone from the sword and is taking it to Batman!!

Sarah keeps her eye on the Batman and gets ready to swing.

If you checked my Facebook status today, you'll already know I got poop in my eye. Potty training is still going on sparodicly. They really enjoy some breakfast yogurt and a few episodes of Word World while trying.

Ryan had a great time! He is wearing his Peanut Butter & Jelly Time Banana shirt he got from his Aunt Colleen for his birthday. They all have there own and they are the "new" hats!!

You can tell Sarah is really trying!!!

But with just a little notice, she'll smile for the camera!

Not Perrin though, he's too concerned about the misadventures of Word World to pay attention to his father.

Hopefully this will appease my mother-in-law and I will be able to live past the weekend. I know that somewhere we have more pictures, so I will try and find them soon and put them up there as well. Enjoy the photo's while I go and clean my stinky eye.

April

2009-07-11T09:53:00.003-05:00

We're quite a bit behind in posting things on the blog here, but we've been having a lot of fun.
Here'a a video of the kids swinging in the park when they visited Nana and Papa during Easter.
There will be more coming soon.

Another Fine Mess

2009-05-14T16:59:00.002-05:00

Just got this e-mail from Chuck, and I thought I'd share...

Baby……

Just thought I’d share a few things with you. The first is that I plan to shampoo the rugs this weekend, most likely Saturday night. The second is that Ryan decided it was more comfortable to sit all the way against the potty and then bounce up and down like he was riding a horse!!! Third, there are wires running from the back of the training potty to the front and they are very easy to get wet, so in the future you need to be aware of that if you ever have to go back there.

Yeah, what you’re thinking right now, that’s what happened!!!

Of course Ryan being the uptight little guy that he is, wasn’t happy about crapping all over the back of the potty. So he immediately started freaking out and yelling about the poop. He then stood up and walked around a bit before plopping onto the floor. Did I mention poop? At this point it was all over the potty, Ryan’s lower body, and now the carpeting that I just spot washed last night because of Fudd pooping. Somehow Ryan then got it all over his hand, which caused even more cries and whines, this time to the sound of “Mess” and “Mess Daddy” and “hand messy.” So as I tried to take off his shirt (which also got poop-sided in the initial run from the potty) he either fought me or tried to help me (I can never tell for sure what his motivation is when he does this) and proceeded to get it on his stomach and chest and my hands and arms.

We never made it to the store before nap time, Ryan got two pieces of candy because he did poop after all, and I had to take the potty into the tub and give it a shower, much to the delight of the children.

I’m not going to ask or wish it, but I will tell you to enjoy the fact that your day is better than mine!!

LOL……..we asked for kids right????

Milk table smackdown

2009-05-06T15:23:00.000-05:00

I got this e-mail today from Chuck.

Baby….

Dinner tonight will consist of chicken stir-fry. If you want anything beyond that, you’re on your own! The kids just pretty much turned on me at about 11:30---- it was all fighting, all crying, all meltdown special here at the triplet ranch and at one point Sarah’s sippy cup that still had Milk in it had the rubber insert come loose. Milk was everywhere!! She started spilling/pouring it all over and before I could figure out what was actually happening, she did it to Ryan. This was worse than a crying thing in the bathtub because it was Milk and it WAS a mess. He tried to use his words to tell her to stop it, in between cries of anger, but she refused to listen and did it again. Next thing I know (and I got to see this all in slow motion as (was trying to get there before this happened) Sarah got pushed off her feet and on to the kids little table on her back. This caused her to kick and Ryan then went ……… well you’ve seen it........all Hulk and he ripped Sarah’s pig hat off and pulled her hair until she fell off the table. That caused the sippy cup to go flying into the wall and it then opened and the milk was all over the floor I got to them at this point and got everything stopped, cleaned up, and then put to bed.

I tell you this because it’s kind of funny and as a result of what I am calling the great Milk Table Attack, they are in need of a bath today. I am waiting for you to come home tonight so you can help me as I get them into the tub.

Here’s to hoping that the naps are a help!!!

Secret Triplet Language

2009-04-07T14:52:00.002-05:00

We get asked on occasion if our kids speak any secret language.
To my knowledge there are two things.

Nunga Nunga Nunga (said very fast with exuberance) This is said when excited about something, and mixing it up with your hands. For example you might put your hands in a container of blocks, stir them up quickly and say, "nunga nunga nunga". They all say this while doing this.

Enonon. or something like that. This is something that Ryan will say to Perrin, that causes Perrin to stop what he's doing, drop to his knees and cry. Chuck thinks that maybe Ryan is telling Perrin, "enough".

Spelling List

2009-03-25T10:58:00.011-05:00

These are the words I can remember that the kids are spelling most of the time. A few of them they are a little shaky on, but I'd bet Ryan and Perrin would get better than 85% on these... Sarah isn't into spelling like the boys, but she still knows a heck of a lot of them. Does anyone know where there's a spelling bee for 2-1/2 year olds?

1. of
2. play
3. it
4. he
5. you
6. in
7. I
8. to
9. have
10. and
11. a
12. said
13. is
14. the
15. for
16. that
17. are
18. as
19. but
20. go
21. had
22. here
23. his
24. like
25. my
26. on
27. see
28. she
29. they
30. was
31. we
32. with
33. frog
34. pig
35. sheep
36. bug
37. dog
38. duck
39. robot
40. rocket
41. banana
42. bed
43. pie
44. pizza
45. can
46. pot
47. pan
48. cake
49. cookie
50. bus
51. boy
52. box
53. fox
54. rug
55. jug
56. star
57. all
58. at
59. be
60. by
61. from
62. her
63. him
64. look
65. one
66. on
67. some
68. there
69. this
70. up
71. word
72. stage
73. slide
74. stairs
75. clock
76. nest
77. net
78. canoe
79. heart
80. jet
81. hat
82. ball
83. doll
84. Ryan
85. Sarah
86. Perrin
87. mom
88. dad
89. Gus
90. goat
91. Bears
92. bus
93. doll
94. no
95. yes
96. horn
97. drum
98. Elmo
99. cap
100. map

* On another exciting note, my college friend has a daughter with hydrocephalus, like Perrin. She was told while her child was a baby that her brain was injured in the speech area, and her daughter may never speak. This girl, now around 9 years old just got 6th in the Iowa state spelling bee. Way to go Maria. Setting the bar for us all, and showing that hydro doesn't put you in a box.

Attack of the Potato Babies!

2009-03-08T01:52:00.008-06:00

It's not the photo update I talked about, but I couldn't wait to put these up any longer, they are just frickin hilarious! I hope you enjoy them. Only two of the triplets are hams enough for this kind of project, Ryan was too serious doing Ryan-type things somewhere. Double Click to see a better image!

I was at the store when Meva got these pics. Who knew Mr. Potato Head was so fun?

Seriously, he's my boy and I love him, but that is just creepy!!

He must have heard me because now he's giving me "The Look!"

Not to bee outdone, Sarah is assimilated!

Even she knows it's silly!

These pictures are going to come in handy at graduations, birthdays, before high school functions, and weddings!! I can't wait to pay them back for all the sleepless nights lost and to come.

Just Stories

2009-03-06T00:22:00.003-06:00

I have some nice picture that I'll hopefully get to putting up here soon, but it takes a bit more time to take care of than I have at the moment. That's because for each photo I put up, there is probably 4-8 that I don't and I go through them and resize them for faster loading and when necessary I crop them or fix the red eyes. I will post more later though. In the mean time here are some observations and stories that I always mean to include but often forget:

Prior to becoming a parent, I wasn't aware that there is a "Daddy Costume" that all kids require a father to wear. As such, I may have to spend the rest of my life wearing shirts without sleeves, a baseball cap, and my gym shoes. Anytime I am without any of them, the triplets get....... well, the get a bit weirded out and worried. It's pretty sad when at the age of two they are already concerned with my appearance! If I am not wearing my hat, they usually find it (or a suitable replacement) and tell me to put it on. If I tell them I don't want to, they cry. Sometimes they just ask me about why I don't have the hat on and if they don't like the answer, they go and get it for me. And they are quick about it. If I take off my shoes, or put on a regular shirt, or God forbid take off my hat, within 30-60 seconds they point it out and the entire process of getting me back in "costume" begins all over again. Perrin is the most observant, but Sarah is the most dedicated and most tenacious about what she considers my "proper attire."

For those not in the know my mother-in-law is a fantastic music teacher. She teaches music and/or band to her entire town via the elementary and middle schools (I believe this is right) in addition to her church's choir, their bell group, tons of weddings, private music lessons, and she also "chips" in and fills in when neighboring towns, districts, choirs, and the occasional heavy metal violin band needs her. She got cancer almost two years ago and begrudgingly agreed to cut back----but only giving up the private lessons. She's also a former teacher of the year for the state of Ohio. So when I say she is involved with music and that it is a big part of her life, it's not an exaggeration. I've never said this out loud (or in print) before, but my impression of her is that she is honestly the "beat" of her town. Despite that, I am still me and one of the ways I often tease her is by calling a violin (her instrument of choice) a fiddle. She humors me when I do that by not choking me. Same thing when I tease her about destroying the kids desire to enjoy music. But the other day I tried to talk Sarah into helping me tease Muriel by teaching her to call a violin a fiddle. Sarah will often do anything daddy tells her (accept the first item above), especially if I am persistent. But in this instance she absolutely refused! No matter what I said or did, no matter what I threatened or bribed her with, she would not call it a fiddle! I thought Nana should know this.

Perrin has picked up using a "deep" voice for affect. It is most notable when I get him to say, "How Dare You!" It is hilarious, especially combined with the faces that he makes as he's using it. It is precious and wonderful and I hope to get it on video very soon.

Sarah has made the switch to a toddler bed. I think it's been successful. For the first week everyone talked about the "new bed." The boys initially felt left out since they are all still in the same room and in cribs, but we've bought each child a new pillow with satin pillow cases and made a big deal out of everyone having "soft pillows" to use. It's been less than two weeks now and the focus is off of Sarah's bed and more focused on the pillows. Sarah has also very dedicated to staying in her bed and not getting out and playing by herself or with the boys. She's not perfect, but I thought it would be more of a fight. Pictures of everything will follow.

Slowly but surely I believe I see Perrin walking better and better. Thesey are small improvements and they don't come quickly, but I see these "small steps" and it makes me want to break down and cry when I think about what he's overcome, what he's currently facing, and what is/may be in store for him in the future.

They all know who Batman is!! They like him and ask to watch him. It's like Rush Limbaugh's kids asking for their first vicodane!

They are getting very good at cleaning up their toys at the end of the morning and night! They are far from perfect and need consistent and firm reinforcement to stay on task most of the time, but they aren't throwing a fit (for the most part) and at times they are awesome at this.

Just last night Sarah was having nightmares or teething pain (she's late with her 2yr molars) or something unknown, so I brought her to bed with me. As I qwnt down with her, I told her that we needed to get into "cuddle position" and as I held her to get her to sleep, we spent about 5 minutes cooing back and forth with each other! She'll never remember it, but I'll never forget it.

Ryan is getting better with his fear/anxiety of water. Still trepidatious and unsure at times, he's now pouring water on his head! He'll never be Aquaman, but he might actually enjoy time at the pool.

A big treat for the triplets is "nap time with Daddy" when we all lay down in our bed. Aside for the novelty of it, I think they enjoy the fact that I sing for them. Bless their lack of scrutiny and critical ability, but they really like my versions of songs that are often adlibbed, out of synch, and almost always out of tune. It is the only time in my life I have ever enjoyed singing (with the exception of a weird dream I had that Meva still laughs about).

Of all things that are odd and different for a little girl to like, Sarah is obsessed with a black octopus grandma Muriel gave the triplets. As the boys are reminded on a daily basis, this is Sarah's!! Woe to those who try to even touch it! It is covered with pink hearts and is holding a Valentines heart and a red rose. She will not take a nap or go to sleep without her "occa puss."

I had fun just thinking about all the above and sharing them here, so I might start doing this on a regular basis so I don't forget all the great little stories and events that are small, but tell mountains about them.

Frozen Veggies To The Rescue!

2009-02-20T01:57:00.003-06:00

Today has been a rough day. The fact that all three children are still alive and not strung up from their toes is testament to my patience........and injuries! They're still running little colds and leaking snot all over. They're crabby and selfish and want what they want when they want it, which is often 5 minutes ago. Today was like that, but worse.

I brought Ryan into bed with me around 5am because he wouldn't stop crying. He was upset because his blanket fell down. Keep in mind it was still in the crib with him covering his legs, so I don't know what he was truly upset about, but I was really tired and just wanted to go back to sleep, so I dragged him with me and we fell back to sleep pretty quickly.

When we did wake up, I went directly into the bedroom to get Perrin and Sarah. Poo biscuits filled the room with a strong stench that almost knocked me down when I opened the door. Meva said she wanted to experiment and try putting Perrin down with his pajamas on normally---the experiment failed! Maybe it's just me, but Meva seems to like to conduct these experiments when she isn't around to see the results the next morning. From now on we hold off experiments until she is here for the results, that's for sure!!

Anyways, Perrin had taken off all his clothes and his diaper. He then pooped all over the bed---on his pillow, all his dolls, his towel, his tent, and as I later found out, all around the outside of the crib! And the best part is that he did it a few hours previous so everything that he got on himself, and did I mention it was on his legs, arms, ribs, back, chin, ear, neck, cheeks, forehead, the one sock he left on for reasons only he knows, and in his nose---well that was already hard and caked.

So, I immediately set out to clean him up. It takes awhile and the boy was red from all the scrubbing, but I got him depooped and he had a clean diaper on. I deserved some coffee at this point. so I went and grabbed a cup and clean clothes for the triplets and went back to getting them dressed. Perrin went first without any further trouble. Sarah followed Perrin and was excited to wear a skirt that I had picked out for her, so she went quickly and without incident.

Then came Ryan.

He was excited because I told him that when he was done we'd all have waffles and sausage, which all the kids love. So Ryan starts giggling and laughing, half-running and jumping, and isn't watching where he's going at all, which leads to his almost 40 poundsdoing a little hop, skip, walk right onto my left testicle!

So I do what comes natural and I groan loudly and give a little yelp. This being Ryan, it of course startles him and he stops standing on my groin just long enough to fall to his knees. Guess where 40 pounds of upset toddler landed, knee first? Yep, second hit in about as many seconds!

I had to take hydrocodone and ice down "the boys" with a bag of frozen veggies because it hurt so bad. And, I hadn't made it back yet to clean Perrin's mess. I thought that would take 20 minutes, but it took almost an hour and a half with all the crap I had to clean.

Did all that with a limp, a groan, and many a mumbled curses!

Then the colds took over and they got crabby, and it wasn't even nap time yet!

So on a day like today, since doing much else hurts, I figure I'll post some photos and remind myself of how cute they are. Plus I'll have this story that can be entered into evidence in any criminal trial from stringing them all up!! But seriously, here are some photos of the little monsters in better moments.

This is definitely cuter than the face I saw early this morning.

Our little musicians jamming at the piano.

We recently had a visit from our friends Michelle and Erik and their gorgeous daughter Sadie. She had a good time crawling around and putting foam on her head.

This is Sadie again with her mother Michelle. I just love Sadie's cheeks. I could pinch them all day long.

Ryan did some fingerpainting as part of his sensory therapy.

Of course we wouldn't have him just do it while the other two watched.

This became a family event with all the kids trying out their inner Picasso.

Meva thought Perrin would have problems with it. I told her she was nuts. Perrin agreed with me.

Sarah liked it alot. Especially when I gave her a duck tatoo on her chest.

Ryan got a matching tatoo and a goatee. He didn't get as messy as the other two, but had fun regardless.

With a little help from Daddy, Sarah was ready for Braveheart!

Towards the end Perrin became almost completely blue. I didn't have to help him at all. Unfortunately we had to get them ready for a bath, so this was probably the best example we have of him digging in.

Now it's time for the end of this picture session. I was fixing something on Meva's computer when Perrin started a Daddy Pile. The also actively tried to pull my pants down too. The must get that from Meva, she's another one who is weird too!

That's it for now. Remember to double click on any picture to see it bigger. Hopefully seeing these makes you feel better too!

Massive

2009-02-17T12:15:00.030-06:00

That's a word that can be used to describe the amount of catching up we have to do here AND how poorly we've been in posting here. There's so much to show and say that I don't know where to really begin. I know Meva wants to talk about some things, so I'll just sort of sum up how things are standing with the kids and then it will be on to posting pictures (some will be from Christmas, how pathetic is that? Honestly, we are proud of the kids.)

We've started potty training. At this point the kids are more ready than the parents. Doing all three at once is more work than I would have ever realized. They're all pretty good about it and they like trying (and the candy rewards) but as we tell them, accidents happen. Of course, accidents also require cleaning--cleaning of the floor, underpants, and said child! Doing that in triplicate is just about a full time affair in itself, so that has been the biggest challenge.

Ryan is no longer in speech therapy! It's wonderful that he has progressed that well, but it's sad in that his speech therapist Jean, was absolutely wonderful and the kids all miss her and her toys! They still occasionally ask for her. Ryan is now working with an Occupational Therapist to help him with his sensory issues. The biggest part of this is brushing therapy. We try to do it every 2-2½ hours. I'll let Meva explain more about that later since she'll undoubtedly have a better understanding and ability to thus explain it.

Sarah is Sarah. She still wants to be a good girl and is the least disciplined of the three. She genuinely gets upset when she's even scolded, let alone given a timeout or the rare spanking. She's currently very into having a bow or ribbon in her hair (although it's still a thistle of curls that are almost untameable) and wearing different shoes (Sarah Marcos?). She also loves to play dinosaurs! Grandma Muriel & Grandpa Fred got the kids tubes of little plastic dinosaurs for their Christmas stockings. Nana and Papa (as they are called) thought they would just be cheap throw-away toys that they wouldn't be too interested in, but Sarah blew that projection. Everyday she plays with her dinosaurs and often wants me to help her. We have them dance on their plastic rocks and then they get in a school bus and go for rides (They always leave that part out of the academic books). She's just a blast.

Perrin, is quite possibly insane! He has decided that the word "Boundaries" should not apply to him. He is both curiosity and drama personified! He has also currently become the most cuddly and loving of the three. He will routinely come to us and just want to give us a kiss and a hug. He's also the only one who will tell us "I love you" when we tell them that. It's quite adorable and even melts this curmudgeon instantly.

Perrin is still receiving weekly physical therapy. We had a visit with a neurologist and Perrin has been officially diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, but a mild form. This wasn't a shock to us and we took this as a welcome development because it will allow Perrin to have access to help and assistance when he needs it in the future. Of course despite this he is insane, did I mention that? My son with these physical disabilities is now climbing onto the kitchen counters (via the drawers) to get anything he wants. Like I said earlier, no boundaries! Just the other day I found him in the dinning room, standing on the middle of the table jumping up and down trying to catch the ceiling fan!! When I tried to explain that he could easily fall off and "break his Perrin" he wanted to hear nothing of it! When I have a heart attack, it will undoubtedly be due to him!

Wow, so much for a summary huh? Anyways, let's get to the pictures!! Remember to double click on an image to see a bigger view!

The triplets have started to enjoy making "Little Beds" on the sofas.

Of course sofas are also a great place for some quality Daddy Time! Almost every time I lay on the sofa, they do this.

This is one of Sarah's self-made Superhero disguises. Although it is a mixed message, those are supposed to be snowmobile goggles and pink helmet. She is the Christmas Avenger!

The Christmas Avenger gets very serious and warns you to be good or you'll get Candycaned!

Once the Christmas Avenger was elsewhere, Perrin decided to do his own version of the Naked Chef.

As Christmas got closer, being good and staying out of trouble got harder. Sometimes we had to wash all the bad off.

Sarah waiting in "The Duck" clothes hamper for her turn in the wash.

Perrin didn't like waiting through the spin cycle.

Sarah wanted to show you that she knows what a uvula is.

Perrin is once again pushing the fashion boundaries.

As Christmas got closer, Sarah got excited.

Even Ryan busted out half a smile!

Of course, if you promise him some candy with an advent calendar you get an even better smile.

We had an early Christmas at home because we knew Santa and Nana and Papa would give us more than enough gifts to bring home with us. This was the aftermath once we got home.

But Christmas was spent with the grandparents. Nana provided a nice big box to keep the toys in, but sometimes if you dig too far you can fall in.

Perrin shows you exactly what we mean. It sounds mean that I left him like that crying and screaming while I grabbed the camera and took the picture, but the shot was worth it!

Later on Wolfgang and Ludwig got started on some toddler Carols.

Sarah and her Christmas outfit having a snack with Nana.

Of course going to Ohio means they get to see their great-grandma Dixie. They love spending time with their GG.

Then it was off to visit more relatives at Uncle Harvey and Aunt Skip's (Somehow short for Charlotte) house.

Here's Perrin with his cousin Elyse and Aunt Karen.

Elyse is big enough to still kinda, almost, somewhat, hold the triplets!

This is all the cousins together in one picture. It's very hard to get them all still for even this long, especially the boys Trey and Matt. They were literally climbing the walls.

Once we got back home, they were too tired to do anything but sit nicely with their babies.

Speaking of babies, we had a late Christmas get together with Grandma Vera, Uncle Louie & Aunt Sharon and cousin Sylvia!

It's very rare that Sarah even notices a baby, let alone wants to hold one. We had to get this picture before the moment passed. I didn't even have time to put on sleeves.

Mommy put on a great spread for dinner. Ryan gave up his chair for Sylvia; he's such a little gentlemen.

It's been another great year for snow in Chicago, and the triplets took advantage of it out in the yard with me and their tobaggon.

Perrin and his first snow angel.

Sarah liked going down the slide into all the snow.

The whole snow angel concept was very confusing to Sarah. Why would she want to lay down when she could be DOING something??

Although he was cold, Perrin enjoyed himself.

So did Ryan, but he refused to make a snow angel. I think it creeped him out.

I still have more photo's from this month, but this post is long enough. I will post the other stuff tomorrow.

Spelling Bee

2009-02-17T08:10:00.007-06:00

I want to preface this entry with an explanation of our perspective. It has come to my attention that other parents have issues with parents that brag on their kids. I would hope that Chuck and I don't come across as my kid is better than your kid to others, rather than just sharing our excitement... because that's our motivation. Our excitement runs a little deeper too. It was about 2-1/2 years ago that we were living through this...

where Perrin was doing so poorly that he was intubated with 100% oxygen (which they try to avoid in preemies because it can cause blindness) and then put in a medically induced coma and shaken on this machine to cause his little diaphram to shake and breathe better for simple survival's sake...

it was shortly after this that we were told that Perrin had a grade III (out of 4) bleed in his brain that in itself could cause retardation followed by the news that he had hydrocephalus which could also cause retardation as well all the other complications of hydro.
Anyway, my point in pointing this out is so those of you out there seeing this have a better understanding of our excitement when we see him doing this. There is no my kid is better than your kid going on here... this is just look at what he can do, in light of where he's been...

Here's our little spelling bee champ...

Help - my mom will use this to black mail me later

2009-01-13T08:40:00.006-06:00

Here's two videos of Ryan.
The first is to capture how cute he is when he asks for help, aka "Hep".

The second is his own doing. He wanted to wear the tap shoes Sarah was given and were laying around...

Leaf throwing

2009-01-13T07:58:00.002-06:00

We are behind in posting as Chuck recently mentioned.
So today, in the midst of what is called to be a blizzard here in Chicago,
is a video of the kids welcoming in fall.
You gotta love the diversity of the seasons and little Sarah's joyful laughter.

Apologies and announcements.

2009-01-07T05:49:00.003-06:00

We're closing in on almost two months since we've made any updates here. In a nutshell, the kids are doing fine and I intend to share pictures and stories here shortly.

I did however want to take this time to let everyone know that the triplets lost one of their grandparents on the day before Thanksgiving. My mother Cheryl died very early that morning from complications of COPD at the early age of 59. She lived with my sister Teri in Arizona and due to the distance and her health, she wasn't able to spend as much time with the triplets as she would have liked to. Although she won't be here for them as they get older Meva and I will be looking forward to sharing her love with them as they grow older.

Hopefully within this next week, we can go through all the wonderful photos we have from the holidays and begin sharing and updating everyone with their exploits. Until then, let me just share a nice photo of their first visit with Santa.

Feeling Isolated and all alone.

2008-11-11T04:25:00.006-06:00

I've not made any effort to to hide how hard life can get here at times, usually during the all too common surgeries or when the cold or flue runs through the house a few times before it leaves. This is one of those times.

Each of the kids, as well as Meva and I have all had head and chest colds a few times recently, and poor Ryan is fighting constipation. When they're feeling better we try and get them out, like we did with the leaf photos, but those times are few and far between now that the weather is getting more of a bite. Usually we result to indoor adventures, like Triplets in Diapers riding a magic bear to Christmas!! I don't care who else it sound lame to, my kids think it is awesome, which instantly means that 's true and everyone needs to adjust their tastes!!

It only takes a few days of playing this way and then the old familiar gang of hoodlums start showing up again--Little Frankie Fever, Mikey Mucos, Hairy Headache, Cathy Cough, Tonya Tired, and Connie Cranky. They've all come to visit at the house today and Ryan got a special visit from Bobby BM and Paulie the Plug to discuss a work stoppage. As is usually the case, we called security after them; she can be very tough and extremely brutal in the way she dispenses health care.

It didn't take her long to clean house and send those little snots packing (No pun intenderd.........ok, maybe just a little but) She then ordered everyone, herself included, to start taking their meds again and to get some rest. That's always easier said than don, at least the resting part. Our kids are great medicine takers (at least for us), Getting them, especially the boys, to rest is the biggest challenge. I don't think Fudd ever wants to sleep. So here I am at 3am attending to both boys who are wide awake and screaming.

It took me the better part of almost three hours to get them calmed down with the help of their own little blankets and pillows, but after Perrin talked Ryan in to sharing a spot with the Fudd, things got better. Ryan was out first, but poor little Perrin held out indefinitely, complaining about how he hurts and can't sleep.

All this means that I may very well die tomorrow. It really sucks for us that the both of our families are out of state and unable to help out, and these are the types of impositions you only ask family. So, tomorrow I ma just die as I am already shakey and throwing up and I can feel my migraines already starting,

Double click anything you want to see bigger versions. Otherwise wish me luck getting Ryan in his bed still sleep so I can take Perrin in with me, which will be a challenge for sure..

And for give any errors or typos as I was under pain medicine and some anti-anxiety to help me sleep.

By everyone and goodnight.morning.

Hydrocephalus Walk

2008-11-09T13:24:00.014-06:00

I guess we've had an incredibly busy few months, being that we are still posting pictures from mid September. In any case, we wanted to thank those of you who supported us in our hydrocephalus walk this year. It was a record breaking year in terms of the amount of rain we got. It was kind of ironic that the walk for the people with "water on the brain" was soaking us all with water. We laughed at the sopping wet signs we posted advertising free (bottled) water for the walkers. The few days prior to the walk the weather had been forecasting for downpours. We had no rain slickers for the kids, as we figured, if it was raining, we wouldn't be out in it with the kids at their age. So, the hunt for the raincoats in itself was something. FYI no one sells raincoats for two year olds in September. I had taken Sarah coat shopping with me in an effort to get her out of the house some. 7 stores and many a cookie bribes later, I stumbled across the pool clearance section at walmart and found buried in it 3 bug like rain coats for 5 year olds+. Bought 'em and rolled up their sleeves and it worked like a charm.

We got to the walk very early to help with the set up, and since it was a downpour we canceled almost all the activities and there was nothing to do but dance on the back deck. At first Ryan was scared by the rain, but after a few songs with mommy and some time with his daddy, he learned to love it.

The walk was held at Lake Arlington in Arlington Heights, which is about an hour North of us. The rain set a weather record that day as a full ten inches fell, not to mention the 4 inches from the previous day. In addition to making traffic a real bear and flooding many people's homes, the rain also took it's toll on Lake Arlington itself. Many of the docks and piers were washed out and flooded over and there were even parts of our trail that were completely underwater, so much that at one point we had an Otter swimming and playing alongside of us. Most of the photos we took just failed to capture the splendor if the moment. We did get one though. It's a playground that is normally about 20 feet from the water. As you can see, things were a bit different that day, remember to double click it to get its full majesty.

So we walked around the lake for our hydro walk with an impressive amount of dedicated walkers, and we remembered what it was like to be a kid playing in the rain. We had been kind of dreading the walk with the weather like it was, but it was actually a blast.

After our walk we found a big puddle away from the traffic, and we all played in it. Sarah would repeatedly bend over and dunk her head in the water and stand back up like she was in Flashdance, but because it was a mud puddle, she had mud water all over her face and it gave her a little Charlie Chaplin mustache. Unfortunately, at this point our camera gave up the good fight and we didn't get a picture of it... but we do have this for your viewing pleasure.

So, we as a family had a blast, as did most of the people braving the weather that day. As a group we raised nearly 30,000 dollars toward hydrocephalus research. Money that is very much needed. I hate to say it, but one of the families pictured in the group picture above lost their child to hydrocephalus about two weeks ago. I cannot really wrap my head around that idea, it is so heartbreaking. Hydrocephalus has a fatality rate of 10%. I like to think of that more in terms of there is a 90% chance that Perrin will be okay, and that the more verbal he becomes and can communicate how he feels, the less likely it will be an issue for him. That being said, it is a concern, and it remains a concern for the greater hydro community, not to mention those who aren't so lucky to have access to health care. Our Chicago Hydrocephalus Group is hoping to start making a difference in the lives of these kids, and our support to places such as the Holy Angels Hospice and Orphanage is just one example.

If there is anyone out there still interested in contributing, you can click on the link at the top left side of the blog under Team Fudd Fundraising. So, thank you to all of you who helped get us one step closer to a cure. I can't tell you how much it means to us.

Leaf Me Alone, I'm Playing!!

2008-11-05T17:24:00.018-06:00

Halloween has come and gone and all that's left over are spoiled kids that are getting more candy and cookies than they ever have before. They've also now become a tad bit.....indignant at times, especially when it comes to cookies! Sarah is the worst of the three and she gets very mad when I tell her she can't have any more. I thought I could easily hold them down to 1 or 2 cookies a day, but their incessant demands got the best of me.

I didn't give in though, I just ate them myself!! Ha! ha! Triplets!! No more cookies. I just hope I don't have to eat all that Halloween candy next.

Ryan sure does love his chocolate.

We're very lucky in that the kids often sleep until 9:30-10am each morning, with the occasional 11am or 8:30 am thrown in now and again. What this does is causes them to take their naps a bit later in the day. When most kids are getting up from their naps at around 2 pm or 3 pm, our kids are going down for theirs. We've had some incredibly beautiful weather lately and unfortunately the kids have had some head & chest colds that have kept them inside.

With the temperature hovering nicely above 70 degrees today, I wanted to get them out at least once before the weather turns back to normal. So today when they got up from their nap, I immediately marched them outside to the front lawn, each with a ball, for some autumn fun. Despite what the pictures may show, these weren't taken at night, but between 4 pm and 4:45 pm today. It was definitely dusky towards the end, but our camera isn't the best at low lights, so any photos that look odd or dark have been doctored by me just a bit to tell there story today.

The kids brought their balls out to kick, but were more interested in daddy and what he was raking. Normally I use the leaf blower, but they don't like it and I wanted them to play in the leaves anyways.

As you can see, it was a big hit, especially after I made them a big pile. What would you do?

If you're Sarah, you run and jump into the pile! Perrin and her were so happy and giggling while they jumped and sat in the leaves. They especially liked it when I used the rake to cover them up with the leaves.

It was so much fun that even though they just woke up, they had to pretend to go to sleep in their new "leaf bed"

Sarah and Perrin liked it much more and tried to make "leaf angels," but I think their horns and tails got in the way.

In the end they decided it was just fun to sit in the pile buried to their chin and throw the leaves at each other.

The smiles may be a little "cheesy" but the fun is 100% genuine!

It took some time, but I even got Ryan in on the act. This is no simple feat since the kid absolutely HATES it when anything gets on him or his hand. He had a great time too.

Sarah and Perrin welcomed him with a 21 leaf salute. He even laughed at this and threw some back.

All Hail the Queen and her Crown of Leaves!!!

It started to get dark and we had to clean up our pile after it spread out. They all wanted to be like daddy and try out raking for themselves. Perrin surprisingly had the best form.

It took him awhile, but Ryan eventually got the hang of it. Too bad he wanted to rake them in the wrong direction!!

Sarah just wanted to walk around with the rake and hit the balls. I think she has a future in Lacross.

Once we had the leaves in a manageable pile, it was time to say goodbye and get back in the house to have our 2 cookie limit. I had to eat 6 of them to make them go away and have the madness stop!!

I have a couple of video clips I want to post here in the next few days, but I need to clean them up a bit. As soon as I get them finished, I'll put them up. Remeber to click on a picture if you want to see a bigger version.

Grandma & The Zoo

2008-11-04T00:27:00.020-06:00

In the middle of October, just before the kids got head colds (which means Meva and I now have them) the week before Halloween. Since I don't feel very good right now, I'm just going to put out some pictures:

Grandma came all by herself to visit, which worried Ryan who always asks "Papa, Are you?" A lot of the time Papa means both Grandma and Grandpa, but we're trying to work in the term Nana for Grandma, But either way, Grandpa Fred was sorely missed.

Meva and Grandma took the kids to a nearby pumpkin farm for some fun autumn adventures. Apparently they all took a tiny school bus to get there.

Although there were some farm animals to see, it wasn't as exciting as playing in the pumpkins. The triplets are really into pumpkins this year, so much so that this was the only photo of Sarah we could get here with her facing the camera.

Ryan had no problem stopping and saying "Cheese" for his photo

Perrin felt the same way and gave a nice big "Cheese"

It was getting late and you can see that Perrin was ready for a nap, but Sarah and Ryan caught their second wind.

The following Tuesday Meva took a day off and we went to the zoo with the kids. It was very exciting to see the Elephants, which is one of their favorite animals. The Elephant didn't want to come close, so Daddy did his scary elephant call and got one to come as close as it was possible. There were three very excited triplets after that.

Ryan was almost as excited as Sarah was.

While Perrin liked the elephant, he was more concerned with Daddy's scary elephant call. It often makes him cry, but today he was brave and focused on the elephants.

In the childrens petting zoo Sarah loved to feed the goats leaves. She thinks leaves are soo cool. The kids were much more interested this year, but when we came it was after feeding time and all the food they eat was put away. Sarah really wasn't supposed to give them leaves.

Then they went inside and pretended to be little monkeys, fresh with tails and a tree to climb.

As with most monkey's, there was a mess that needed cleaning. Our monkeys are very well begaved and clean up after themselves...........except when they're at home of course.

The kids were tired so we headed to the van to head home. On the way we stopped and painted their faces. Sarah is showing off her inner clown.

Ryan liked his clown face since I told him he looked like a lion. He kept saying "Raaaaah"

Poor little Fudd was too tired and fell right asleep with his baby. We got snores instead of smiles.

Of course it was only a matter of minutes before Sarah joined him.

Ryan and his duck held out last and made it out of the parking lot awake,

We've come a long way in catching up here in just a few days. Of course the next two months will be insanely busy with the holiday season upon us and I am sure the kids will get sick again. Hopefully things are winding down around here and we'll all be able to return to normal---well, normal for us at least.

Remember, if you want to see a picture larger, just double click on it!!

Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T18:42:00.015-05:00

We're finally back from a very successful candy haul. We really did not go to many houses, maybe 15 total, but the kids got more candy tonight than Meva and I have ever gotten for them before. If only the economy was doing as well as my kid's candy sugar fortunes!

The kids were very excited about getting their costumes on. They'd all worn them at least once before and tried them on in addition to that, so they were very familiar with what they were. The boys were especially excited to get dressed up and if it weren't for the promise of candy afterwards, they would have thrown a bit of a fit I'm sure.

The warmer than usual weather was nice, especially with the kids all having head colds. We once again received more looks and comments about the train than anything else. I guess I'm going to have to get used to that, I just never thought it was that uncommon.

The kids enjoyed getting in their train and being pulled to each house so that they could get out and walk to the door. I'm very proud of them for saying "Thank You" as much as they did, many times without prompting. Overall though, they were very confused about the whole "Trick or Treat" process. Ryan wouldn't open his bag for anyone unless I held both of his hands, instead he just took the candy from their hands directly and either said Thank You or just Goodbye! Sarah and Perrin just didn't seem to understand what was going on, but they knew they were getting good things to eat. Ryan kept saying "Papa," thinking he was going to see his grandpa everywhere.

Well that's enough of my yammering, here are the pics! Remember to double click on them to see a larger version with more detail.

Look in the back of the train, it's Bat Ryan! He was usually first to the door and would yell "Open" much of the time before the door was answered.

Next as our Supergirl Sarah. She's too young for a Wonder Woman Bustier, so she went with this super alternative. Along the way she tripped on some Kryptonite and cried for a bit, but otherwise she was a trooper.

Perrin was the worlds happiest superhero dressed up as the Flash. He absolutely loves this costume. I really thought he'd have a problem wearing the mask, but he loves it!

I dubbed the train The Justice League Express during our Halloween trick-or-treating. This was one of our first stops.

I would supply the muscle and pull the train while Mommie often took the kids to the door for their treats. They especially liked the fact that their bags had pumpkins on them (They can't easily say Jack-O-Lantern yet, so every gourd is a pumpkin)

Here the kids are holding up their favorite treats from the night. Ryan has a sucker, Perrin has a candybar, and Sarah has a stick and a leaf. Yeah, that's ones trouble for sure!

Here is most of their haul from Trick-Or-Treating. By the last houses they were having trouble holding their bags due to the weight of what was inside. This should hopefully last until the New Year. Too bad it's not accpetable to give out fruit any more.

One of the houses in our subdivision goes all out every year with their Halloween decorations. There is no way to possibly get everything into one picture, but the kids were excited to see all the pumpkins lit up and hanging from trees and all over the lawn. Meva and I think this will be the last year they won't be scared of the display. Next year should be pretty interesting.

Here's the middle of his front yard. If you click the photo to enlarge it, you'll see he has almost 20 small kid figures who have jack-o-lanterns for heads standing in some kind of witching circle. Behind them is a cauldren with a fog machine in it to add to the mood.

This is a shot from the house's driveway. I think you can see the cauldren here. This house has so much all over the roof, trees, and side. He even has a small museum like room in front of the house that you can look at from the inside.

One of first things they got to eat were M & M's. They kept expecting to find a different letter on the candy and they called out the color of each piece before they put it in their mouth. Meva was in charge of feeding them this while I made dinner. She said they ate about 5 little bags of them together in addition to 4 or 5 candy bars each and some other assorted stuff. They may never sleep again.

Bat Ryan enjoys his chocolate, even while hiding in the shadows.

All the kids wore a onsie under their costume even though it was warm. When we took Sarah's off, she looked like a Mexican Le Libre wrestler in her red onsie and Supergirl boots!

If Halloween is any indication of how they are so much older and aware of things, Christmas is going to be a month of fun.............and stress!!

Long Overdue

2008-10-31T14:51:00.014-05:00

Since Meva has said I am the one who needs to update and post on this blog, I will take the author's liberty and blame her for the lengthy delay in posting!!

I can't believe how long its been, and how much we've been up to, since our last post. The kids have gotten to meet their new cousin, go to Grandma and Grandpa's House, Have Grandma come visit them, go to the pumpkin farm, and even the zoo. And those are just what I have pictures from.

I know everyone's here for pictures of the kids and not to hear me mumbling away, so let's get right to the photos.

The kids have shown enough interest that we've begun the early stages of toilet training. So far Sarah is the only one who has really gone (#2), but Ryan sorta did one, but it was hit and miss (mostly miss).

My niece Ashley had a baby girl named Sylvia in September. After she was home a few days, we went down to meet her. Sarah wasn't too interested, but the boys were (as was their Daddy). Perrin thought she was one of his "babies" and just wanted to kiss her (and he even spanked her once! That was embarrassing and forced me to change some of the "pretend parenting" games the kids play with their toys).

Ryan absolutely Loved Sylvia and just wanted to hold her and kiss her. He was very gentle and very cute about the entire thing. He cried when he had to stop.

Let's hope Perrin develops a little more fashion sense in the next few years. That whole gloveon one hand thing is sooooooooo 80's!

We then took the kids to Ohio for the weekend. I had a comic book convention I wanted to go to and Meva and the kids hung out with her parents. Grandpa thought it was time to give his grandkids a ride in the tractor!!

Grandpa then told them that apples actually grow on trees and that they were going to go looking for some.

Each kid got to pull their own apple off the tree and have a fresh snack! Grandma says the only thing better than fresh Ohio apples is eating fresh Ohio apples dressed in Ohio State outfits!

Perrin says that sometimes his mommy takes too many !@#*(&% pictures and won't let them be! Can't a kid just eat his apple?

Perrin got upset when she wouldn't stop and warned her that he would eat the camera if she didn't leave him alone.

Ryan thought that was funny and he said he would eat the camera too!! And we're not sure how it happened, but Sarah got out of the tractor and left her legs and feet behind.

Well it is Halloween, so that means we need to get our candy ready and our costumes because as soon as Meva comes home, it's Trick or Treat Time. And yes, I promise to have costume pictures up tonight!!

E-mails from home

2008-09-22T18:54:00.003-05:00

Every now and then Chuck sends me an e-mail that paints a picture as to how things have been when I am at work for 14 hours on Mondays. This was just such a day.

Meva…..

Here’s a little math for you to explain what you’re coming home to:

[(3 toddlers x 1 dog x diarrhea) + (3 loads of baby clothes x 2 rounds of baby baths x 2 crib bedding changes) + (1 tent x 1 snake x 1 snake bite) + (100 mosquito bites x 1 wasp sting) + house chores/ zero patience] + 1 sore back = ordering pizza for dinner!!!!!

I’m going to have you pick it up at Aurelio’s in Lockport. It’s in the Jewel shopping center near Quiznos.

I sincerely hope you haven’t had half the day I did!