17 months

So much has changed in just a month... I have three little chatter boxes with (how can I phrase this in a positive light?) strong personalities!  This is a good thing, I know... but some days I feel more exhausted at the end of the day than I did in the very beginning with little sleep!  They go to bed around 7 each night... with the parents not far behind!

Having said that... part of my exhaustion comes from laughing so much... I am amazed by these little people!  Lilibeth has been such a (seriously) huge help to me over the past week.  All three had hand, foot, mouth disease (don't worry... the name is way scarier than it really is!) with congestion and ear infections.  The boys have needed lots of TLC this week and Lilibeth has helped me take care of them.  She brings them their drinks (each child has a different colored cup because West drinks almond milk), she brings them things that make them happy when they cry... My favorite example is when she brought Jack his current favorite book with the page turned to his favorite picture-- tractors!  She amazes me!

For the first time last night, Jack and West hugged and hugged... we ate it up!  It may have turned into a little wrestling at the end... but how fun is that?  Last month I talked about how much they were talking... and I thought they were, but now...  Wow!  I did not want to forget what they are saying, so since our house looks ridiculous anyway due to baby proofing, I  just decided to slap some posters up on the wall with blue painters' tape: "West's words" "Lilibeth's words" and "Jack's words."  When they say something new, I wait for them to use it again at another time, then I write it down.  My mother thinks that I am trying to fail my children in "First Words" class.  She comes in and reads each child's list then thinks of all of the words I have shorted them on!  A grandmother is always an even better advocate than your mother.  They will capitalize on this in later years!  Here is my favorite Fancy word story.  The babies were eating spinach quesadillas for dinner.  They are all great about mimicking what you say, but mimicry does not meet my criteria for the "word wall."  So I am doing dishes when I hear Fancy shout, "QUESADILLA!  She said quesadilla!  Write it on her list!"  Oh, my!  (It is not on her list).

We had a super fun adventure to NW Arkansas to visit cousin Walker Boone!  The cousins had so much fun together.  I got the message from my children that Walker's house is way cooler than our house because he has a fenced backyard!  West spent the weekend standing at the backdoor saying, "Side... Side!"  They loved being outside.  It was a short trip... the 3 day guests and fish rule does not apply to families with toddler triplets.  We stayed 2 days.  Walker and his parents were great hosts, but I would not blame them for a sigh of relief when we hit the road.  Walker has big news that he would like to share with everyone... He is going to be (at 18 months :) a big brother in September!  Woo-hoo!  We can't wait to meet baby Mast #2!  When I asked Lilibeth if she wanted a girl or boy cousin, she clearly said "gull"... TWICE!  

We had two successful plane rides... West, Lilibeth and Jack were sweet... no screaming at all.  Poor Klint hauled three car seats around the airport and installed, uninstalled, installed, uninstalled car seats repeatedly throughout the weekend.  I love that guy!

Our first finger painting experience...

FUN!

Jack may have eaten a little finger paint...

West: Is this legal in the trip-trap?  Jack:  YES!

Lilibeth has quite the affinity for sh-sh-shoes!

Oops... I will be in BIG trouble for this later, but I loved it!  West loves a hat... he doesn't care if it is an Easter bonnet!

Lilibeth in her clothes from Singapore!  Thanks for remembering what a fashionista Lilibeth is when you were halfway across the world, Sandra! 

All decked out in green for Duke's birthday party

Good times before bath time

It's rodeo time in Texas, y'all!  Thanks, Mitchell & Jeffie!

Ready or not... here we come!

Woo-hoo!  Here is our whole training team!  This is my friend J & her daughter M.  We jogged our first 5K in a little bit of rain this month (we are not THAT sweaty!).  Our babies (and families) met us at the finish line! 

"Side" and a ball... does life get better than this?  Yes... shortly thereafter Fancy brought out Duke's birthday cake.  We can officially add "cake" to West's list.  He said it no less than 100 times.

So happy

I love it when the boys wear this shirt.  They love to make motions and noises for "monkey."  They crack each other up all day with this shirt.

Up and down, up and down...

Lilibeth loves a flower