22 months... Picture update!

Lilibeth visiting Meme

Jack gives sweet kisses

Look at all of these good looking Warners!

Lili B. loves to sit in the kitchen window

Jack loves motorcycles (and watermelon!).  I have no idea how he even knows about a motorcycle, but his teacher at MDO asked if Klint drove one.  No... but Jack knows "motorcycle.... VROOM!"

Look at those beautiful blue eyes!

Our friends J & L came for a visit and brought an ipad... Yowzer! 

West loves a little technology and does not think twice about elbowing his way into the prime spot.  Hey... I appreciate a guy with a thirst for knowledge!

When will we grow tired of this tractor?  Certainly not anytime soon!

How happy does this make me?  CRAZY happy!  I love my little readers... Now, check out those socks and sandals.  Their MDO wants closed-toe shoes.  Too bad, doo-dad... Fancy bought these shoes before we knew that and my cardinal rule for my triplet fam is that mama cannot keep up with more than 6 shoes per season.  Not 6 pairs.  6 shoes.  So sock those sandals and move right along.  Their aunt thinks that this look is a crime against children.  Tell it to the judge.

West in Papa Bill's old glasses... handsome fella.

Cousin Mason looks smashing as well

Fun before bedtime

Puzzles!

Everyone (with the exception of the author of the blog) loves to vacuum!

Always looking for a new hat...

This bowl became so popular around these parts that Fancy had to bring over her bowl just to keep the peace.

It's the little things!

Fancy reading the current fave... The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night.  Dad read it to Lindsay and me way back when :)

West and his new friend J.  She was so sweet with him even when he was all over her.  The girl had some technology!

Gan reads to her boys

Stars, circles and hearts... fascinating!

I cleaned out our closet and the trio played hide and seek behind the clothes... so fun!  We had a great time, but the closet really didn't get cleaned :)

Splash pad!

I love this sweet, sweet girl! 

Enthusiasm!

All I have to say here is: Note to Event Coordinator... NO MORE ZOO DATES IN JULY!

We got sick... these sad little pictures that follow are of our first "We are so sick we have to pass out on the couch" days.

How sad is that?

Well, not THAT sad!

Oh, West!  Don't turn the shower on to let it warm up and them turn your back on a curious cat.  This is what could happen.  SOAKED!

Solidarity!

Lili B. loving time on her own at Fancy & Duke's house.  See ya, boys!

Our friend H's 2nd birthday party.  Cupcakes and Elmo?  YES!!!

21 months

I have a such a love-frustration relationship with toddlerhood...  I can feel so overjoyed with the new things Lili B, West and Jack are doing and saying one minute, and in the next minute feeling like pulling my hair out.  This week I had to pull the car over.  Yep... we're there.  Klint and I just had a conversation about how these three are the funniest little cats we know.  Jack is amazing at distracting.  If he knows he is teetering on trouble's edge, he breaks out all his best jokes.  If that doesn't work he starts passing out kisses like a politician in a crowd of babies.  Jack also enjoys helping me determine when would be a good time for one of his siblings to have a "Tim out."  I don't know how this unknown "Tim" became involved in our family's "time outs," but according to Jack, it's "Tim out."  West is a super sneakster.  He "helps" his siblings with toys "I fix it, I fix it" and then all of a sudden it is in his control and someone is screaming, "Take it!  West take it!"  Lilibeth has busted out with the total girl scream.  Only a slight change of octave indicates whether the scream is one of delight or disgust with her brother(s).

Where is the mother in this sweet little piece of chaos?  She is pouring the coffee that grew cold in her cup hours ago over ice (and aren't we all thankful that we are past those Mad Men days of the 60's and coffee is the only thing I'm pouring over ice at 9 a.m.?) and repeating my mantra...
"We don't take"
"Kind and gentle hands"
"Feet on the floor"
"We sit on the furniture"
"Our food stays on the table" 
"It is your choice... you may give (any given toy, piece of trash, shoe, vacuum, etc.) back to your (brother/sister) or go to time out."
"I am happy that you made a good choice"

OVER and OVER and OVER 

As my mother laughed at me the other day, I said, "I repeat the same thing over and over all day every day."  She kindly reminded me that I am an elementary school educator.  Why is this any different than what I have done every day of my entire adult working life?  

Here's how it's different... as much as I loved (and still love!) my students, these babies are OURS.  These babies say, "I miss you, Mama" (Jack when I came home from a few days away), "I love you, Mama... Squeeze" and she hugs me as mightily as her little arms will allow (Lilibeth), "I comin', I comin' (when I am coming toward West) and then "Up, up... I hold you" when I reach him.  It is different and so good.

We ate Daddy's favorite meal on Father's Day... dirty rice!

Jack, Daddy, monkey... happiness.

Kittens!  We have three outside kittens for three kids.  Hopefully the three kittens will eat up every snake within 300 miles of us!

Pocket... what on earth will I find?

Who's the fairest of them all?

Public service announcement:  A tray for a mom of many is a beautiful thing on the way to an outing.

New York City... you've got nothing on our Naked Cowboy!

Swim lessons this summer... So much fun!  Such a process... this mama did not know that swim diapers were not actually "catch the pee" diapers. 

Our swim teacher Carly and Lilibeth.  Jack talks about swimmin' with Carly at Aunt "Bickie's" pool often.

Jack is swimming!

Daddy is the most fun in the pool by far

Swimming for blocks... Thanks, Carly, Aunt Vicki and Uncle Bill!

The big 2-0 months!

Summertime is so much fun, who can stop to blog?  Also, twenty month old toddlers require so much attention... who has time to blog?  My friend Bonnie emailed last night and asked if Jack was still saying "I don't know" in response to every question.  I realized that he had stopped and that I had stopped blogging and that I am going to forget everything that I love because my brain, if you were to look at a current scan, must most closely resemble a sieve.  Sad.  Moving on....

At the church house... Klint and I may have had a teency fight about the outfits the boys were in

BIG NEWS!~  Jack, West and Lilibeth are in summer school two days a week... and Mama is doing part of her other (much less important) job during daylight hours.  Hallelujah!

We took a little trip to the outlet mall to get appropriate school shoes.  I miss elementary school.  I don't say "appropriate" or "inappropriate"  500 times a day at home.  Maybe that's a good habit to drop :)  Anyway, West had to entertain himself by putting goldfish crackers in his ear.  I say that's inappropriate.  West says shopping is no fun.  We can agree to disagree.

We had a fun morning at Creekside Park with Jessica of JL May Photography.  Klint took our camera and stole some shots.  www.jlmayphotography.com

West Irby... what I don't want to forget about this time... "EEE... up, up."  He loves to be held right now and I am hoping that they "EEE" is his shortened version of "please."  Who knows... it's sweet.

The official photo shoot is over and the party gets started... the boys found a puddle in the slide!

The kids think that the TV is called "Einstein"... how ironic!  They LOVE Baby Einstein and they love to watch and ride on their ponies.

Camp Cousin 2012... Uncle Mark and Aunt Linz came and hosted camp.  Klint and I took off to Florida to celebrate almost 15 years!

Lilibeth loves the slide!  We all love the play set from Ben & Papa!

Funny girls

"It's too dang hot for a penguin to be just walking around out here"

The Zoo Crew!

West is using (I hope!) "gentle hands" with the goat.  Do they sedate those goats?  What a bad job for a poor goat!

Lilibeth and Jack brush the goat who is wondering how he should go about putting in for a transfer to a local farm.

Walker working on his grooming skills

See ya!

Linz (voted Best Girl Counselor) said that she and Mark (voted Best Boy Counselor) got lots of interesting looks... four toddlers and a baby on the way!

Bring your green hat... it's a dance party!

West and Walker tried to escape into the rain.  When it rained on the beach in Florida, Klint and I took off for an unexpected trip to Disneyworld.  I must admit, I have made HILARIOUS fun of adults who go to Disney by themselves... especially those who honeymoon in Disney.  Really?  But... it was by far the best day of our vacation... we raced between parks and rode every roller coaster, saw Cinderella's castle lit up at night... and here I go, I am going to say it.... it was magical.  I don't know how Walt did it, but I cannot wait to take these three!

Sweet pea... always making sure the boys have their sippy cups.  She adores her "bruh-ers."  She has become a chatterbox in the past month... Yay, Lilibeth!

Reading to Jack

Lilibeth wants my spot at the trip-trap...  these boys need a good teacher and she is the girl for the job!

We got a little sick last month.  After gagging up his dinner two nights in a row with the antibiotic, we tried it in Blue Bell.  Now way, Dad.  I'll play with this straw, but I am no dummy.  YOU drink the amoxicillin shake.

I may apply for a job as a nurse...

We are mostly well now and ready to celebrate the 4th!  I can't wait for Lilibeth and the boys to see fireworks!