The Big Day

Although the big birthday festivities were on Saturday, Bob and I couldn't let the actual day pass without a celebration. We took the boys to the Japanese steak house for the hibachi performance. James was fascinated and didn't eat a thing until the chef walked away. Ryan watched and ate everything with gusto, and Michael was not a big fan of the onion volcano or the big flames that started the meal off. Overall, I think their first experience with fried rice and bad jokes went over pretty well. After dinner, we came home and opened family gifts then had cake. It was a pretty fantastic day despite the fact that I am still waiting for their birthday gifts from Mom and Dad to arrive (if you have any experience with my obsessive nature, you know that this is about to cause me a coronary and that there have been many emails written to various internet companies).

Our three men love their cake. Tasty stuff.

James shows off his love of all things chocolate. He kept eating all of the cake on his tray, so I kept giving him more. Let's just say the diapers were pretty dark for a while.
Michael loved the cake. He kept clapping after every bite and accidentally flinging his piece of cake on the floor (which I'm sure Duke truly appreciated).
Ryan, as always, was our messiest eater. I'm pretty sure the amount of chocolate cake in his hair was equivalent to what made it in his mouth. His tummy looked like a Mexican flag with all of the green, red, and white icing.
A post-cake bath was in order. The boys really enjoyed their cake and between their actual birthday and the one year professional pictures, they managed to weasel out three cakes from one birthday. Pretty smooth move, if you ask me.

One

WE MADE IT!! Our boys are a year old. They are all walking (some better than others), and they have had three celebratory cakes. Now that they're a year old, it makes me long for those baby days (nostalgia completely devoid of reality, that is) when they were so tiny and cuddly.

Little James on his birthday. He sure did look like a tiny old man.

James takes charge of the choochoo. He's come a long way from that isolette.

Sweet Michael before they put the CPAP machine on him. Our little Baby B.

Michael walks - not to Pantera, but still, he walks (with stops and starts).

Ryan taking a little snooze after that hard trip out of Mommy's tummy. It's hard work being the last man out.

Ryan and Daddy. Could they be happier? I don't think so.

Three of a kind - ready for more action. I wonder what the next year will hold.

Not Quite as Happy But Happy All the Same

It was James' turn behind the wheel this weekend.

Happiest Kid Ever?

I'm not quite sure if that is true but this may be the happiest I've ever seen Mikey.

We were doing a diaper change in a parking lot and while Angela was doing that I got tired of holding Mikey in the sun so I stood him up in the drivers seat of the suburban.

This is what followed.

Wet & Wild

Bob and I got the boys a pool for the back yard. They didn't have a molded plastic pool I liked at Toys R Us, so we got this "snap set" pool. It is really cute and would have worked great if the water didn't need to be deeper than the boys can handle. We've since purchased a hard side pool from WalMart, but this one was fun for a while.
Aunt Faith and her boys get wet. Note Brandy in the background searching for a duck. She did find one and ate it's backside and beak. No more ducks for Brandy.

James loves his duck. The little head is just perfect mouth size.

James makes a stand.

Michael hates the big pool - he cries for the majority of time that we are at the big pool, but he loves the little pool. He didn't want to get out.
Adventurous Ryan would rather hang half in and half out of the pool, but whatever makes him happy.

Mommy's boys sport their swim diaper speedos. Gotta love back yard fashion.

The Out of Towners

As summer rolls around, we have gotten several visits from some of our out of town family that we haven't seen since Christmas. Memorial Day weekend was big for us. Uncle Joseph came down from Norman, Uncle Zach & Aunt Mandu came from Houston, and Grandma & Grandpa Newhouse came from California. The boys & their mommy love to see family. We had a great time with all of them, and we can't wait for them to come back. As usual, Uncle Zach & Aunt Mandu encouraged Mommy to drink past her 2 glass limit. No matter how much wine is consumed, the kids still wake up at the designated time in the morning.

James gets some pointers on drinking from Aunt Mandu.

Grandma & Ryan observing grilling techniques from Uncle Zach. Despite appearances, we did not establish a wagon train, we merely moved the chairs into the shade.

Uncle Joseph and his namesake Michael watch Uncle Zach man the grill.

Hitting the sauce with Uncle Zach.

Another out of towner came home from Waco last weekend. Uncle Stephen was in town for a baseball tournament, and on his off night, he came out to the house to see us. We really enjoyed having him over. It made Mommy & Daddy miss the high school days when Uncle Stephen didn't have a grown up lifestyle and spent lots of time hanging out with us. We watched a fight and the (older) boys discussed Daddy's new obsession - the baseball stats of 1941. If anyone feels like researching and reporting to Daddy, Uncle Stephen, and Grandpa why the 1941 season had such great hitting - was it the pitchers, the pre-war preparations, the wind currents? inquiring baseball fans want to know - they'd greatly appreciate it.

Our Baylor boys, Uncle Stephen & his namesake Michael, enjoy a little post-dinner picture time. I probably should still use bibs, but the way the kids try and choke each other and rip off the bibs, I've just given up. That's why they make oxyclean.
Uncle Stephen & Grandpa do push duty. We are all so glad that we've gotten to spend so much time with our family lately. Thanks for coming!

She's a Lady

Aunt Faith is no longer in elementary school. The other day, the boys and I went to her 5th grade graduation. She looked lovely, and we were all impressed with her accomplishments. Of course, it seems as though her school was happy to celebrate mediocrity rather than award the smart kids, but I guess there is plenty of time for flaunting intelligence in the upper grades. Here's the big moment:



While I was quite disappointed that she did not stick to her original career goals of astronaut farmer, Faith was one of about 30 kids who said they wanted to be a vet. It was later disclosed that said career was in lieu of a less desirable career of dog walker. Ironic, since I'm pretty sure the Professor only goes on walks very sporadically. Mom, Kathy, and I have decided that she has loftier goals to aspire to and that dog walker would be a good high school job. Of course, she could always go on Letterman to perform stupid human tricks. Here she performs for her captive audience:

Dancey Dance

Lately, the boys have started to actually notice the TV. Tragically, this means the end of entertainment for Mommy, but for the moment, kid programming is completely controlled by me, so I really can't complain. I've decided that Yo Gabba Gabba is like crack for one year olds. The boys are obsessed with DJ Lance Rock and his pals. Lately, they've started grooving to the music. The first time James noticed the Gabba Gang, it was an episode called Dress Up. He was sitting on my lap and had to slide to the ground to break out his moves. I rewound the "Funny Hat" song, and he cruised up to the TV to do his own Dancey Dance. It's pretty subtle, but I adore the butt shake/hip swivel he does. I think I've watched this video at least 40 times, and it always makes me laugh. Here's James busting a move.

Michael gets in on the action and shakes his groove thang. Notice that Ryan's attempt to dance is somewhat hampered by the fact that he is balancing atop a toy. Ryan has started to dance with gusto, but as of yet, I have not captured it on video. Hopefully soon, I'll be able to catch Ry's Dancey Dance.

Who Needs a Horse?

One of the boys' favorite rides is Daddy. Bob is a good sport most of the time, but I think that he wussed out with Michael. I spend 50% of my day attempting to unfurl Michael's fingers from my hair, so I've learned to breathe through the pain. Here are the boys enjoying their rides.

The Way We Were

These little men are amazing, and I enjoy hanging out with them, but as of late, I have realized that motherhood has put a serious cramp in my style. There are so many things I used to be able to do that I am no longer able to accomplish without an entourage. Not that I would trade my entourage, but here are a few of the things I am no longer able to do (if you're a mom or dad and have a few items to add, please feel free).

• Urinate in privacy. My current bathroom needs are either postponed until nap time, or I sit upon the throne while Ryan attempts to grab the plunger (which I always wonder why I never think to take it and put it in the other bathroom BEFORE it becomes necessary to open the door to triplet paradise), James tries to unroll the toilet tissue, and Michael attempts to dig through the trash for treasure (he might just have more in common with his Grandpa Robin than just his eyes now that I think of it).
• Drink, especially my version of crack, Diet Coke. I don't know why children think if Mommy has it, then she should share. I suffered through a hot two weeks in France refusing to share water bottles with other people due to the threat of backwash. While I am not as uptight as I used to be, 11 month olds do a heck of a lot of backwash.
• Eat. After I feed the kids breakfast, I try and surreptitiously consume a pop tart. No can do. All food requires me to pay a triplet toll. It's like feeding the pigeons in the park. One whiff of food and you get swarmed.
• Use my computer. You may have noticed a long gap between my posts in May. This is because any and all opening of laptop computers is accompanied by slapping keys, attempts to wrench the screen off of the computer, and general interest that can not be assuaged. I'm not sure how Kristi Hutton is able to do laptop work - maybe it's the difference between boys and girls or four hands versus six.
• Talk on the phone. All phone conversations must either be quick or consist of putting the person on speaker phone, shoving the phone down my shirt, and hoping that the kids don't notice I'm not really talking to them. If I attempt to hold said "black box" to my ear, it's like the hottest chick at the party swatting away the boys hands. (Thanks little men for giving your mommy that elusive experience).
• Walk freely about the house. There is no such thing as running quick to go get something. As soon as you are on the move, the trail ride starts. I swear, if the pioneers had my kids to get those wagon trains started, the west would have been settled a lot faster.
• Read anything other than board books. See aforementioned six hands.
• Use the remote control, or should I say the Newhouse Boys' "holy grail."
• Watch TV. I used to be able to put on a show that I liked and watch it while the kids played quietly with their toys. I'm pretty sure I've tried to watch the last episode of Criminal Intent (pause to mourn the passing of original L&O) a minimum of six times without ever completing the show, hence I am relegated to rewatching episodes of reality shows that I enjoy - recently Cake Boss and Say Yes to the Dress have been in heavy rotation. The boys current favorite is Yo Gabba Gabba. I let them watch one to three episodes per day dependent upon my exhaustion factor. Or more truthfully, how much I am enjoying watching their little hineys sway to the music. James is a HUGE fan of "Funny Hat."
• Load the dishwasher. I thought Duke was bad. I used to spray him with water to get him to back off my dishwasher. When the dishwasher opens, it's like an invitation to hop on and take a ride on the wild side. Who needs that door to stay attached? What do you mean knives aren't for playing with?
• Open the fridge. The boys are fascinated with the fridge (hopefully this is not an indicator of waistlines to come - sorry for passing on those large and in charge genes). It's like opening the door to Aladdin's magic cave.
• Unload the drier and/or fold clothes. Today Michael threw all of the washrags I had just folded on the floor right under my folding hands. Those kids are quick.

If I tried to create a complete list, I'd be here until the kids woke up in the morning. My grandma has been telling me how she used to sneak candy bars into the bathroom and lock herself in while her 4 kids pounded on the door begging to come in. I have a feelin' those days are just around the corner for yours truly.

Waterbabies

Some of my most vivid memories as a child involve my mother and the quest for sun. I remember Mom laying out in the back yard with a towel over her face, and if you came too close, she would say "move back, you're blocking my sun." If mom wasn't soaking up rays in the back yard, she was trying to get some color at the pool. We spent hours in the pool as kids. Julie and I would jump off the high diving board at the Hackberry pool. Quite a feat for 8 year olds. Said high diving board combined with a one strapped swimsuit led to the great boob escape of my youth. After the "incident," Grandma sewed a purple ribbon on the other side my suit to prevent the type of exposure that Ryan seems to be attempting here. All that is to say, that my mother has been itching to get the boys in the pool. Years of ear infections and sunburns resulted in a marked distaste of all things pool by yours truly, but becoming a mother has changed so many things in my life that the discard of my pool aversion is minute in comparison with more important things like restroom privacy (you thought one kid trying to unroll the TP was annoying, you should try it with three).
Knowing my mother's love for all things pool, Bob and I decided that the best way to be prepared for triplets and the pool was by taking swimming lessons. I called AquaKids, and for $3 extra per lesson, I could get the boys private lessons without having to commit to a 13 week session and abuse the instructor by making him/her work with one of the kids (it was pretty challenging to find an extra person to accompany me for the five lessons that we took, finding two people for 13 weeks would have been impossible). The lessons were great for Bob and I. The kids love the water, and a pool is just a giant bathtub with a diaper on, so they really enjoyed it. It took Michael a bit to warm up to the idea, but by the end of our lessons he was loving jumping in the pool and kicking to the side. We learned valuable tools to keep the kids afloat in the pool long enough for them to be rescued if necessary, and this gave Bob and I definite peace of mind. All the boys can hold their breath for 5 seconds and are very comfortable with the "kick, kick, kick" and grabbing the side of the pool. Last Friday, the pool opened, and Grandma, Aunt Faith, and the 4 musketeers headed out to enjoy the water. (I wanted to get a shot of the boys to use on their birthday card as well as laying to rest all of my mother's hemming and hawing and naysaying about my willingness to pool with her.) Other than Michael, the kids had a great time at the pool, and by the time we left even Mikey was having a good time. Hopefully we'll go back soon.
Mommy's boys having fun in the sun - people watching, splashing, and soaking up the rays with their 70+ coated skin.
Grandma & Aunt Faith wrangle the boys as Mommy attempts to get the perfect picture for the boys' first birthday card. They definitely earned their keep returning the boys to the staging area. Grandma came up with the brilliant plan to position the boys near a water spout so as to reduce the amount of running necessary to keep the kids in one place.
Aunt Faith takes charge and shows the boys just how much fun the pool can be. It's a good thing we had one pair of hands per munchkin - the pool is treacherous territory.
Mommy's attempts to get a picture of James chillin' in the pool were foiled by his need to explore as much of the area as possible.

James contemplates the next quadrant for exploration.

Miserable Michael. Someone forgot how much fun swimming lessons were and decided to dislike the pool, the toddler water park part, and the afternoon in general.

Ryan likes getting wet & wonders, "is this deep enough to splash in?"

So much to see and do at the pool.

Where is all that mist coming from? We were just sitting here and it started getting wet.

Ah, a water spout kept their attention for a bit and made this birthday photo shoot a success.

Outta My Way, Little Man!

This phrase could be heard hourly in the locker bank of Shackelford Junior High during my 8th grade year. I have no idea who the kid was who bellowed out this phrase, but it has stuck with me all of these years and has become quite relevant the last few weeks around my living room.
Grandma and Aunt Faith came by for a little show by the boys. They are getting closer and closer to walking every day. I must admit that I don't really encourage letting go of the safety net too often. No need to accelerate the process - they are already so fast by knee that I can't imagine how swift they will be afoot.
James is the push cart man. Don't get in his way or he will take you out. Ryan attempts to get in some time with the purple lever. Foolish boy, James will not allow that kind of time to pause for you to enjoy said toy, this is a PUSH cart.
Michael checks out the books on top of the baby jail while James trots past. He's like the US Mail, our James, nothing will stop him. (Except for the "red tape" of walls and random items too large to steamroll over.
"Seriously, Michael, get out of the way or I will crush you!"
A happy push cart driver poses for a picture while his stealthy brother cops a few seconds of toy time.
Michael would much rather play with the moveable parts on the front of this convertible push cart. He also likes to ride astride, but since he just sits there admiring the toys up front, I think we aren't quite ready to ride.
Ryan takes a turn pushing. Thanks to the lovely Chatty Patty, we have two push carts. Ryan doesn't mind taking a spin around the living room, but he is no where near as focused as his eldest sibling. Instead, Ryan would much rather figure out how to climb on top of the push cart to reach forbidden objects. (Remind me why I named this child after the brother who is notorious for spending time inside the toilet and on top of the fridge just because he could get there?)

Around Towner

As the boys are getting older and more mobile, it is getting easier to go out and about with them. We've switched to the Britax car seats that Bob's former boss so generously gave us, and the boys are only using their infant seats on the triple decker stroller. I am getting much braver about going out with the boys a week or so ago, we took a trip to Target just to get out of the house and get some fresh fruit. It was a breeze. The boys were great, and we even stopped by the bakery for a cookie. It was their first real (non-animal cracker) cookie.
A couple of weeks ago, Bob's sister Susan and her husband John Paul came to visit. They hadn't seen the boys since Christmas, and they were impressed at how much the gang had grown. John Paul and Ryan became great buds, and I'm pretty sure they can't wait to get together again soon. While they were in town, we took advantage of the good weather and went to Joe T.'s. It's a great place for the boys. I don't worry about how loud they are and all the food they drop on the floor is just a gift for the birds. We had a nice time despite the fact that Sir James grabbed my sizzling hot fajita plate.
We got to the restaurant around 4:30 or so, and on the way in, I decided I had to have a picture of the boys by the fountain. By the time we left, the crowd had picked up significantly, but I still stopped to take a few quick pictures. I felt as though I wasn't able to get the perfect shot because within a couple of seconds, we became an attraction, and people stopped to watch us. Ironically, it shocks me more when people don't notice us rather than stop to watch.
Michael was unsure of the fountain, but Ryan had no trouble demonstrating to James exactly how one should splash in the fountain.
Ryan decides to demonstrate for Michael how much fun the splashing can be.
Lesson well learned, and simultaneous splashing begins.
Is it wrong that I craved this picture because the fountain matched the kids outfits. I swear, I never thought I'd be one of those moms, but I do love when my boys look good in their clothes. Perhaps it's because I myself am such a slob with unkempt hair and food stained clothes. (I wish I could blame all of that on the kids, but I am infamous for my use of the car heat/air vents as a hair drier while on my way to work).
Taking time to relax between all our outings, the boys have a milk break. Lately, they wont sit in their chairs to drink. They'd rather sit on the floor and sling milk at each other. They have figured out how to make the milk squirt out of their bottles. As they are 11 months, I am doing half and half milk and formula. Every can of formula I buy, I think, "is this the LAST one?" Our pocketbooks will really enjoy the lack of formula in the budget.
Last weekend, our friends Keith and Terra invited us to join them at the Taste of Addison. We had a great time, but by the time we left, I was worn out. I had been pretty sick and the introduction of medicine gave me a false sense of health. Despite causing myself to relapse and spend the next day in bed (literally, Bob took the kids to church and out to lunch with Aunt Mel while I slept until he came home at 2 to check on me), I really enjoyed it. The boys had a bbq sandwich, crawfish, and countless other nibbles of tasty food. We also rode the carousel with Katie and Carter. It was great fun, and James (who was my designated baby) thoroughly enjoyed himself and kept crawling back over to check out the horses while Ryan ate every stray thing he found in the grass and Michael tried stealing Katie's sippy cup.
Michael, ready for fun to begin. He decided to cleanse his palate with formula and animal cracker.
James and Ryan rocked the double stroller. The two stroller trick worked pretty well. Every once in a while, someone would ask if they were triplets, but most of the time by the time said gawker had finished counting, we were long past talking range. James' back seat was the only one without a tray and cup holder. I'm going to have to figure something out for the next time we take the kids out so that the worst seat in the house isn't so bad.