I Think I May Have Created A Monster

When I see it come in the mail, I get all giddy with anticipation. I can't wait to get home and start paging through it. My hands sometimes shake with excitement as I try to turn each page.

Everything in there is just so pretty and takes me back to a time when life was simple. I still after all these year would like one, well not just one but the whole set.

I want an American Girl doll and everything that comes with one. Oh the hours of brushing her hair and dressing her up in all those costumes. Just the thought of it makes me happy.

I have drooled over the American Girl catalog for as long as I can remember. I remember the very first time I looked at the catalog. I looked at it so much, the ink began to wear off the pages. I plotted and planned on how to get one. I tried to save my money but this dream of mine has never came true.

But I still like to look. I still like to think about what it would be like to actually own and play with one of these dolls. And it is time that I share this joy. So this time when the catalog came to our house, I showed the this magic catalog of doll goodness to Claire.




And now the torch has been passed on and Claire now knows the joy of this wonderful catalog. Maybe she will get lucky and have a doll bestowed upon her. I promise that I will let her play with it, sometimes.

Her joy and excitement, just made me so happy. Right now, she is in love with the dogs and cats but she will learn of the dolls. All in good time.
All in good time.




Hosted by Cecily

All In A Day

"HERE COMES THE TICKLE MONSTER!" I playfully yelled as I ran in to my bedroom where the kids where playing. I heard screams of delight as Hayden rolled around and Quinn tried to scramble up the end of the bed to be tickled and join in the rough housing fun.

Then as I bent over Hayden and started to tickle him, time began to move in slow motion. I watched, helplessly, as Hayden swung his foot around and hit Quinn square in the face.

THWAP!

THUD!

CRACK!

WAAAAAAAAAA! Quinn let out a painful crying as blood began to pour out of his mouth.

With time once again at normal speed, I scooped Quinn up and ran into the kitchen. I quickly put a cool cloth to his mouth and tried to stop the bleeding.

In a few moments, Quinn calmed down enough for me to a chance to look at the wound. That was when I first realized that he has bit through his lip. I looked inside his mouth only to find that the inside lip looked like raw hamburger.

I picked up the phone and called the doctor, only to be told to head into the ER.

"Really?" I questioned the nurse on the other end of the phone. "It is just a small cut."

"Yes. You need to get this checked out by a doctor. It could need stitches or he might need to see a plastic surgeon." She stated.

"Seriously?!" I asked again. I was trying to seal the fact that I would not be nominated for mother of the year.

"Yes, it is our advice that you should go. I will call the ER and tell them that you are coming," and with that she hung up the phone.

I sighed and looked at Quinn who now had a pretty puffy red lip. "I guess its off the doctor for you and me."

I told Jeff what happened, "With the power going out this morning, not sleeping last night and now this injury this afternoon, this could possibly be the worst day ever." I said as Quinn and I headed to the hospital.

Quinn was in great spirits and even happy about the trip. He was talkative and happy and every time someone asked to see his 'big owie', he opened wide.

The doctor who took care of us was great and even gave Quinn a mustache with betadine. He assured me that Quinn would be fine and that the best thing was a little skin glue to seal the outer cut. Quinn was a champ, only getting annoyed by me and all my attempts to take a close-up photo.

In no time we were free to go home. But Quinn, he really didn't to leave. He was having much to much fun jumping on the stretcher and playing with the gloves.

But once he realized the gloves could come home with us, he was ready to go. And I was more than ready for this day to be over and so ready to curl up with a nice big glass of wine. It just goes to show, that when you think a day is bad, it can always get worse.

Hosted by Cecily and Angie

How to Exhaust a Four Year Old Boy

I think that one of the most challenging things about being a mother is what in the world do you do with your kids all day long. I really, really struggle with this, especially with Hayden.

He has found the joys of video and computer games and given his choice that is what he would do from the moment he opened his eyes in the morning to the moment he closed them at night.

When given a limit on how long he can play, he will ask continuously until he can have it again. I have even been known to back down on the limit that I set just to make him stop asking me.

Well the other day, I had had enough. I loaded everyone in the car and we went to the park. When we got there I discovered some wonderful things that kept him entertained and physically active.

Like climbing a tree.

Asking him to climb out of 'jail' as fast as he could.

And this fabulous playground toy that I am totally going to sneak back to the park in the middle of the night and take home.

I can just see it now. He says he is board and wants to play his game and I say no. Then I send him outside to run on this toy until he passes out. It will be fabulous and not cruel and unusal punishment at all.


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Thank you everyone for your kind comments on my previous post. It is so nice to know that I am not alone and understood. You all make my heart happy.
I am feeling better after a full night's rest and a nap or two.
Oh, the wonders of sleep.

What's That Big Colorful Tube For?

This is a pretty cool tube. How does it work?

Alright, I think I got it.
But I feel a little too small to reach the handles.
Ah, Daddy? Can you help me?

Ok, that's better.
Let's Go!

Tubing is Awesome!



At the lake this past weekend, it was Hayden's first time ever going tubing behind a boat. I was not sure that he would go for it but when asked, he jumped at the chance. I just love that he is willing to try new things. And this new thing turned out to something that he totally loved.

Seriously, This is What that Tastes Like?

Have you ever tasted something for the first time only to discover that it is the best thing that you ever tasted?


Have you ever tasted something that was so good it just had to be spread all over your body?


Have you ever tasted something for the first time and then tried and climb into the little cup it was served in to make sure that you got ever last little bit in your mouth?

Well then you know how Quinn felt here eating cherry Jello with whipped cream for the first time.

A match made in tasty heaven.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Shhhhh.....

Its bedtime and that means all it right with the world.
All the kids are soundly sleeping after a fun filled day at school.

See here is Jake sound asleep.

And Claire all cuddled up in her blanket, dreaming away.

And now here is Quinn
What!?!
There is something wrong with this picture.
Where in the world is Quinn?

Oh, there he is.
Sleeping in the chair.

Later this same night at about 3AM, Quinn woke up. He was crying so I got out of bed and went up to him (we had placed him back in his crib earlier). He had lost all of his pacifiers so I gave them back, rubbed his back and he settle back to sleep.

Then at about 5AM, I heard crying again from their room. This time it was Claire. I got up with her, gave her a drink and tucked her back into bed.

As I was walking out of the room, I glanced in Quinn's crib but it was empty. I quickly turned around to look at the chair but it was empty too. I then thought about the door, Hayden used to sleep behind the door when he was this age. But Quinn was not behind the door.

My heart was now starting to beat faster. My sleepy haze was thinning and I began to think. Was the door open when I got to the room? Yes I think it was. So I ran downstairs to look through the house.

I looked in the living room. No Quinn.
I looked in the den. No Quinn.
Perhaps he had crawled into our bed and I had not noticed him.
But he was not there either.

By now my heart was racing. I was on the verge of panic. Were the doors locked? Could he have gotten outside? Had someone broken in the house and taken him?

I was just about ready to wake Jeff up and call the police when I decided to look in his room one more time. As I ran up the stairs, I thought, closet! I had not looked in the closet.

I threw open the closet as quickly and as quietly as I could expecting him to be there but he was not.

Fear and panic were just about ready to take hold of my brain when as I turned around, I saw him. He was curled up under the crib. This little boy ball soundly sleeping under the crib.

I have never been so relieve in all my life. I pulled him out and placed him back in the crib.

And as I walked back downstairs to get a minute or two more of sleep before the whole house awoke, I thought...

Would it be a bad thing to tie him into the crib?



Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Photo Story for Making Baby....

Food, that is.

When it came time to start feeding the babies solid foods, I made the decision that I was going to make my own baby food. It was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. And I don't know why, it took me having triplets to consider it. I really regret not doing this for Hayden.

Making your own baby food is so easy, you won't believe it! Trust me on this one, I was able to do it and I had triplets plus one.

Lets discuss. Here are some of the benefits, in my book.

When you make your own baby food, the food you serve your baby actually tastes like the vegetable or fruit and not just some watered down version. Plus you know exactly what is in there because you are controlling the ingredients.

The texture is closer to that of actual food so the transition to pieces of solid food it easy.

Kids will not turn their noses up to vegetables and fruit once self feeding starts because they are used to the tastes and textures of these foods because they have been eating this from day one. At least this is my experience with my own kids and that of my friends.

The cost. The cost alone is, in my book, a huge reason to think about making your own food, especially if you are a mother or multiples. For example, we estimate that a 6 week supply of baby food, the national best selling brand, would cast about $50. The same supply of home made baby food, using frozen, canned and fresh fruit and veggies, would cost about $20. See, see, less than half the price! Now who doesn't like saving money?

Now, onto how.

So those were the reasons that I chose to make my own food. Now I would like to show you who easy it is.

First, gather your supplies.

I likes using frozen veggies and canned fruit (in lite syrup) when I couldn't get fresh. And since that babies started eating this food in the winter, frozen worked great.

Another supply is ice cube trays. These are how you freeze the food. One cube equals one serving.

Then cook the vegetables and fruit is using fresh. If using canned, just pour into a bowl or food processor or blender for mixing.

Blend, Mix, Puree, Go Baby Go.

This was Jeff's favorite part. I would cook and he would Puree.

And Viola..... Home made Baby Food!

Confused by the bags? Well, all this food was made for my sister and her son. She came over for a lesson in baby food making and had to take the end product back home. Bags are much easier to transport then ice cube trays, trust me.

See, They Love It!

(These photos are exactly one year old! Grandma is feeding the babies.)

I would really urge you to consider this process if you have a child close to eating solid foods. It is really worth it! And if I can do it, then so can you.

I also found 2 books that were really helpful resources. These books were my baby food making Bible's Go Check them out (just like the image for the link).








Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

What's So Awesome about The Kitchen Table?

I don't know if I will ever know.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

PSF: A Dog Gone Good Book

Quinn loves dogs!

That is why this book was a perfect gift for Quinn. He loves this book and carries it around the house, barking as he goes.

This page, right here is why Mommy loves this book. It makes me laugh, every single time I read it (which is about 20 times a day).

But sadly, this is what happened to the book after about 10 days in our house. See, even one of the dogs lost its head. Poor Doggie!
It was a darn good thing that Quinn was given 2 copies of this book.
Yeah, Quinn's little life is now complete once again.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

PSF: Triplet Play At Its Best

This is how it all went down. Word for word, promise *wink wink*

Quinn: Jake get up here, she is coming.
Jake: Dude, I am trying get off my head.
Claire: What are you boys doing?

Jake: We want to spin! Come on, Claire, spin us. It will be fun.
Claire: Are you sure? heheheheh
Quinn: Wheeee, spin spin!

Jake: Come on Claire get this chair spinning. You can do it
Quinn: Wheeee, spin, spin!

Jake: Go Go Go!
Quinn: Whoa, I don't know about this.


Quinn: Dude, was that good for you? I am totally spinning.
Jake: Totally, dude totally.

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