And Babies Make Six

Is Your Garage Half Full or Half Empty?

2010-03-14T22:18:00.000-04:00

Ours is now more than full. Today, Clif brought home his 1973 Chevrolet Nova SS Hatchback. It is black (~~and rust~~) and has entertained us all day long. He bought this when I was pregnant with the triplets. I guess he thought this might be his distraction from his quickly changing life.

She has spent 3 glorious years with Clif's cousin in North Georgia getting a mechanical makeover. There is still lots to do, but the economy has kept the progress going at a snail's pace. So today, we brought her home. I call her "The Money Pit." She still needs lots of cosmetic surgery (inside and out) and a fuel injection makeover . The list is quite long and neither one of us really has the guts to add it all up.

I followed him home and took a few cell phone pictures, but the entertainment of the day came when he tried to get her into the garage in a somewhat permanent position. I say that, because I know my husband. He says that he'll drive her every couple of weeks. I say she may need another overhaul before she runs much more. I have also just lost a great deal of real estate in the garage.

Here are two videos. I might be slightly sarcastic in these. And as for the second one. I haven't laughed so hard in months. And the exhaust....Let's just say I can still smell it in the garage.

Enjoy!

The '73 Nova from Lynne on Vimeo.

Clif's Nova - Parking in the Garage from Lynne on Vimeo.

Snowlanta

2010-02-12T22:10:00.000-05:00

Sorry Mr. Goldfish

2010-01-16T18:25:00.000-05:00

Our house is filled with lots of imagination. We get at least two versions of every story.

When I was in the shower today, Clif came in the bathroom and said Austin took care of one of the goldfish (we had 3 when I got in the shower). I asked what in the world he was talking about. He said, "He flushed one of the goldfish!" Austin told Clif that he had flushed the fish because it was dead.

Two minutes later Clif returned with version 2 of the story. You aren't' going to believe this one. Austin took the fish upstairs and put it under Lauren's pillow! Clif found it still barely moving and put it in the toilet. The poor little goldfish started swimming around. Trying to save him, Clif went down for the net to scoop him out. As he walked down the stairs, he heard the flush. Tyler had decided that he needed to do the honors.

When I got out of the shower I asked Austin what he was thinking. He said that he wanted a fish in his room. And there you have it. Five year old logic.

New Year's Day

2010-01-01T15:32:00.000-05:00

Clif is watching two football games at once on his laptop while the kids are playing Wii. Here's to a multi-tasking 2010! Just look at the smile on his face!

Girls, we have found the one thing men can multi-task.

And just 10 minutes later, the multi-tasking wears out his brain!

Chirstmas in KY

2009-12-27T13:58:00.000-05:00

Rachel, Lauren, Micah
Austin, John, Andrew
Josh, Tyler

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2009-12-24T21:06:00.001-05:00

Twas the Night Before Christmas...
when all through the house
EVERY creature is stirring,
even the mouse!
(we found Zhu Zhu pets; and they're kind of fun).

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nicolas would soon be there.

Children should be snuggled all nestled in bed.
Instead they are wrestling, laughing, and shrieking,
all to my dread.

And there is no kerchief, there is no cap.
Just loads and loads of those twisty things
that need untwisting before I nap.

Waiting for clatter...to see what is the matter.

Lawn loaded with 4 bags of reindeer food from all of our brood.

Hoping Santa isn't too heavy to fit down the pipe...
the treadmill has dusts of every type.

Pray for some sleep before midnight
as our little ones are likely to rise
with boundless energy way before light.

Off to the basement to take a last peek
to see if I can find all the stuff from last week!

Merry Christmas to all and to all parents....a good hour's sleep!!!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T19:39:00.000-05:00

Wishing you all a very blessed Christmas!

Merry Christmas 2009 from Lynne on Vimeo.

Elf Report Day 3

2009-11-25T10:09:00.006-05:00

Our little Elf is still causing great excitement and some behavior modification. We're using the boring locations so that I can pull out the big guns when they start to get bored. I'm still looking for good suggestions!

I'm baking and cooking all day, so I don't have much time to look on the web. Hmmm..I wonder if the Elf cooks?

P.S. Say a little prayer for my Grammy Poe. She had to go to the hospital yesterday and will be spending Thanksgiving there. As my mom put it, she pulled a Clif. She's in atrial fibrillation and was having a hard time catching her breath. The doctor came in this morning and said that she is still out of rhythm, but is doing well and will be out of CCU into a room soon.

Elf on the Shelf

2009-11-23T22:24:00.005-05:00

I found a new BFF today. I bought an Elf on the Shelf doll and book. He is my new friend because he is being really helpful with discipline during the begining of this crazy season.

If you have never seen the Elf, here is the story. . .

The Elf comes to your house. As soon as you name him, he has magical powers. Those powers allow him to magically visit Santa every night to update Santa on your kids' behavior. Brilliant! When they go to sleep he travels to the North Pole and returns by morning to a new spot in the house. They are to race to find him in the morning.

What is even more brilliant (until they catch on) is the tradition goes that Santa told him 1) not to talk to the kids, and 2) the kids aren't allowed to touch him. If the kids touch him, his magical powers go away and Santa will think the kids forgot about him just before Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, the Elf rides with Santa back to the North Pole where he stays until next year.

My kids have bought this hook, line, and sinker. They are so excited. Their imaginations are going wild. Now, the fun part begins. If I can remember to move this Elf every night, we'll have something good. He has also been known to get into some mischief, so any suggestions of where he might end up are aprreciated. So far, we've come up with various places in the kitchen (including the fridge or freezer), the car, and who knows where else.

I know some of my Facebook friends have these for their kids, so I'm hoping we can all share some ideas. The downside of bringing him out early is the length of time you have to change him up, but if they keep believing that he's Santa's informant it will be "oh, so worth it!" Tyler was standing on the couch this afternoon and I said, "Oh, No!! The Elf saw you!!!!" He IMMEDIATELY sat down.

Ours is named Weekie. Which had to be drawn out of a hat of 2 choices.

To get one or learn more, visit the Elf on the Shelf web site.

4 Year Old Comedy

2009-11-12T21:01:00.005-05:00

Kids are funny. They get funny around 2 and age 4 can be downright hilarious. Multiply that by 3 kids currently 4 in my house and call me entertained much of the time.

Here's a story from today.

We were on our way to preschool. I sometimes practice counting or do other memory things on the way to school. Today we were practicing phone numbers. We went through saying the home phone a few times, then my cell, then daddy's cell. The following conversation ensued:

John: "Mommy, I want a number. When am I going to have a number?"

Me: "Well, John. Some day you'll have a number. When you get older, you'll get a cell phone and then you'll have a number. We haven't decided when that will be yet. Maybe when you are 10 or 12."
John: "How about 10?"

Lauren: "No 12!!"

Tyler" "No!! 13!!!"

Me: [laughing at them arguing over a concept that they obviously don't get yet]

Lauren: "Mommy? Are you 12?"

Me: "No, Lauren. I'm 41."

Lauren: "I want to be 41 like you Mommy!"

John: "I want to be 65 like Daddy!"

Me: [laughing so hard my sides hurt (Daddy's about 20 years away from 65)]

John: "What's so funny?"

Me: "Daddy isn't 65 silly! He's 45!"

Tyler: "Mommy!!! Daddy's not 45! He's 46!!!"

Me: "Oh yeah! You're right Tyler."

N.e.e.d. M.o.r.e. C.o.f.f.e.e.

And now for a random picture:
Preschool Tumbling

From 2009-11-07

Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T21:10:00.004-04:00

It rained on us tonight because we went out early. I think the kids had more fun passing out candy then trick or treating. The highlight of the night was going to Austin's teacher's house. They all kept asking if we were there yet.

From 2009_10_halloween

Tyler, John, Lauren and Austin

From 2009_10_halloween

Our neighbor Pam.

From 2009_10_halloween

Getting cold and wet!

From 2009_10_halloween

Lauren's New Buddy

2009-10-29T21:37:00.001-04:00

Lauren and I went to Kentucky last weekend after mom came home from her surgery. She is doing well. Lauren helped Granddad with his "honey-do list".

From 2009_10_25

The Castle

2009-10-18T20:29:00.000-04:00

When my children get quiet it means BIG things are happening. Tonight, they cleared out the linen closet and built a castle.

Guess Where?

2009-10-17T18:14:00.000-04:00

Turn on ESPN2.

We Don't Like Bangs

2009-10-16T17:41:00.003-04:00

You would think I was talking about my daughter Lauren. No. As usual, I have another Tyler story. He came to me with safety scissors in hand and said, "Mommy, my hair was too long." (See the first row of photos.)

He apparently trimmed some of John's hair too, but I can't find the evidence (thank goodness). Clif took him to get it somewhat fixed. He kept saying, "I don't like hair on my forehead! I like it short!"

Mr. Carl fixed his hair up as best he could without going too short (see second row). This is the shortest it has ever been.

Asleep at Landing

2009-10-05T15:22:00.001-04:00

Lauren was lulled to sleep on the long taxi to the gate at Atlanta. We have landed safely and sleepily.

Intrigued by the Safety Card

2009-10-05T15:22:00.000-04:00

Tyler read the Safety Information card 3 times on the way home.

Proof that we are a little Crazy

2009-10-03T08:58:00.000-04:00

This was taken at the airport.

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday!

2009-09-26T13:37:00.005-04:00

My babies are 4 and we are blessed. I'm still having trouble refraining from calling them, "the babies". I'm getting better. It is getting easier because they are all so different.

Every year we think back on this day with gratefulness. We are humbled that we were given three children on the same day. They were more tiny that any of us ever could have imagined. It took a long while to realize that we were the parents of 4 children. It has finally soaked in and we are happily busy.

It may sound crazy when you call our house. That would be because....well, it is. These three started out as helpless preemies that we had to leave in the hospital for 6 and 10 weeks. Those weeks seemed like years. Now, the last 4 years seem like weeks. The weeks are flying by and they are singing, dancing, playing sports, and fighting like every other set of siblings in the world.

Happy Birthday John!
You were baby A and now you are a funny, musical little guy with a sweet personality. You love your rock and roll and baseball and soccer and light up our days. You still have that little laid back personality with the steady progress you had when you were first born.

Every night John asks, "Mommy? Are we going to have breakfast in the morning?"

Happy Birthday Lauren!
You were baby B and now your are a sweet little baby-doll loving girl with a strong personality. You keep your brothers in line and are developing into a talkative little girl who loves to make up songs to sing to us and your baby dolls.

Lauren is up to 8 babies and would love to have several more. She has all but the 3 she picked out last night as her birthday present named.

Happy Birthday Tyler!
You were the surprise. We didn't find out about you until a week after John and Lauren. They watched you carefully the whole time. If some of those docs could see you now! You had to fight the hardest to get out of NICU and now you fight hardest on the soccer field and are asking to play football. Who would have thought you'd have the best memory of the 6 of us with all of the NICU interventions and medications!

If you need to know something you forgot, ask Tyler. That's going to come in handy as we get even busier.

So for any expectant multiple moms finding this post, take heart. Thanks to a log of prayer and all of the advances in medicine, preemies have a great chance.

From 8-16-2009

This is me a couple of hours before delivery on 9-26-05.

From triplets_birthday

John, 2lbs., 13 oz.

From triplets_birthday

Lauren, 1lb., 6 oz.

From triplets_birthday

Tyler 2lb., 3oz.

From triplets_birthday

2nd Tooth Gone

2009-09-23T20:15:00.000-04:00

Austin pulled his second tooth tonight. It was loose and I got it almost ready and said, "Do you want to pull it?" The next thing I knew he was doing the tooth fairy dance.

Last Week Swine Flu, This Week Floods

2009-09-21T13:51:00.004-04:00

We were feeling pretty spunky this morning. We have been hibernating for about a week recoverig from the flu. We had varying symptoms, all pretty mild, but this buggar is persistent. Clif optimistically left the house for a charity golf tournament and I had all of the kids ready to go to school. The bus never showed up.

You'd think a half-way intelligent human being would try to find out why. We had no internet service, no home phone service, and no tv (thank you Comcast bundle). My next door neighbor left the house to sub at the school, so what was up with the bus?

On the way to take Austin to school my brain finally kicked in and I called a friend who told me that there was no school. Are you kidding? It's only raining. Well, having spent the last week working and taking care of sick people, I was a little out of touch. Apparently, the metro area of Atlanta has seen 10-15 inches of rain in the last day.

We have intersections flooded, buildings flooded, retaining walls collapsing and people losing their lives. One woman, only a few miles from our house. Please pray for those directly affected.

If you Twitter, the hashtag is #atlflood.

Ibuprofen- Side Effects (for parents)

2009-09-14T21:04:00.000-04:00

Tyler was confirmed with the flu this afternoon. He had a fever of 101.4, congestion and a super red throat. Four hours later and a dose of Ibuprofen and this is what you get.

John slept for 3 hours and Austin and Lauren have runny noses. Here is to a crazy week!

Off to Preschool

2009-09-08T09:04:00.002-04:00

From 2009_09_08

We are all excited about the first day of preschool this year. And, oh, what a difference a year makes. This year Austin is on the bus around 8 and they are already dressed and ready to go. Instead of rushing out the door I have an hour or so to get some work in before we leave.

Dressing Myself

2009-09-01T08:16:00.000-04:00

It's a lovely 68 degrees with a cool breeze waiting for the bus this morning. My southern born children call that 'cold'. Tyler tried to convince Austin that he too needed a hat!

Techies in Training

2009-08-28T13:21:00.000-04:00

They've taken over my IPod.

Weekend Fun

2009-08-17T00:19:00.004-04:00

This is how weekends should be; busy enough to wear out the kids!

Tyler was so tired we found him sleeping in the linen closet this evening. Lauren had a 2 hour nap and was up playing after the boys fell asleep. Tyler had been playing with her for a while after John and Austin gave it up. She emerged at the top of the stairs and said that she couldn't find Tyler ANYWHERE!

I went upstairs to show her that he was on the top bunk. He wasn't there. After looking under the beds (where Daddy said that he had been hiding an hour earlier), we finally located him in the linen closet fast asleep. I wish I had a picture of that.

From 8-16-2009

Asking for a nap?

2009-08-15T14:50:00.000-04:00

Austin must be exhausted! When we got in the car after soccer he cried to go home and take a nap.

Kindergarten, Here He Comes!

2009-08-10T08:46:00.002-04:00

Austin was so excited today. He was tired from the weekend, so I had to wake him up, but once he realized what day it was he ran downstairs to eat breakfast.

What a fun morning! No tears, not even from Mommy and Daddy, although Daddy admits to a lump in his throat (don't tell him I said that).

From 2009_08_10_Austin_firstDay

Our Budding Journalist

2009-08-06T23:05:00.000-04:00

This is what kindergarten orientation looks like through the eyes of the kindergartner. Austin asked me if he could take pictures today. It was so much fun watching him capture his own memories. He asked his new friends to pose and actually got me a few times. Fun stuff!

Austin's Orientation

2009-08-06T16:44:00.000-04:00

Austin had a great time in his classroom. I helped some so he got to meet lots of his future classmates. He also had our little digital camera and took his own pictures. I'll post those later.

Shopping Exhaustion

2009-08-01T18:07:00.004-04:00

We had a big day getting school supplies for Austin, school clothes, and back packs for the triplets to take to preschool. Clif captured this while I was at the grocery. Priceless!

Crazy Cowboy

2009-07-29T15:29:00.000-04:00

I work in the basement when our babysitter is here. John ran downstairs to tell me a "bedtime story".

Birthday Pictures

2009-07-28T20:02:00.002-04:00

Clif claims that I switched the candles, but I really didn't. He was just being absent minded. He is five years older. That would make him 19, right?

From 7-28-2009

Soccer

2009-07-27T18:24:00.000-04:00

Tonight is our first soccer practice. All 4 kids are playing at our church. This should be interesting.

Triple the Fun Today

2009-07-25T17:46:00.005-04:00

Austin and Daddy are gone to a birthday party so it's just me and the three littles. They have been pretty good today. They cleaned up the loft, played outside, and got along pretty well. It's amazing how the dynamic changes when you pull one kid out of the mix!

From 7-25-2009(1)

The Tooth Fairy's First Visit

2009-07-16T20:32:00.000-04:00

Tonight is the night. Austin lost his first tooth. He looks so big and grown up!

Our Latest Injury

2009-07-06T20:23:00.000-04:00

This is what happens when you are too excited to get to the pool. Concrete is mean sometimes.

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-04T09:33:00.006-04:00

I hope you have a safe and healthy day of celebrating our country's Independence. Our little ones are still at the "It's fireworks day!!" Let's not forget why we get to celebrate this day.

We've had a crazy June that can be summed up with swimming and company. My work has been especially busy this summer so there has been little extra time.

Austin had a great swim season and added a new stroke (back stroke). The triplets took lessons and to our surprise, John is our swim freak. Clif is calling him frog man. Lauren and Tyler are taking a lot longer than we thought at getting comfortable in the water, but they are doing better. Next year will be really fun for all in the pool!

Rachel's Birthday! My parents brought my niece with them to visit for her birthday. We took her for a "surprise" trip to Medieval Times. She and Austin had a great time. Happy 10th Rachel!

Blog-less

2009-06-25T22:00:00.000-04:00

I have been so busy I almost forgot that I had a blog. Mom, Dad and my neice Rachel are visiting. This was at the swim meet tonight.

First 2009 Swim Meet

2009-06-11T22:21:00.003-04:00

Austin is turning into a serious little athlete. He is having so much fun being on teams. Baseball was great and now on to another favorite, swimming. We are so fortunate to live in a subdivision that has an awesome swim team. The triplets are saying they are going to swim next year. That will be a riot!

Here are some shots of Austin, Eli, Logan, and Hannah. Eli and Austin are buddies from preschool and Logan's and Hannah's parents are in our Sunday school class.

From 2009_06_11 WB vs. Brightwater

Eli

From 2009_06_11 WB vs. Brightwater

Eli getting ready for backstroke

From 2009_06_11 WB vs. Brightwater

Hannah

From 2009_06_11 WB vs. Brightwater

Hannah

From 2009_06_11 WB vs. Brightwater

Hannah

From 2009_06_11 WB vs. Brightwater

Hannah and her dad

From 2009_06_11 WB vs. Brightwater

Logan

From 2009_06_11 WB vs. Brightwater

Logan finishes (his very first meet)

From 2009_06_11 WB vs. Brightwater

Eli doing freestyle

From 2009_06_11 WB vs. Brightwater

Austin getting ready

From 2009_06_11 WB vs. Brightwater

Austin and coach Leslie

From 2009_06_11 WB vs. Brightwater

He's in that splash somewhere

From 2009_06_11 WB vs. Brightwater

Whodunit?

2009-06-07T16:00:00.000-04:00

Lauren and John were downstairs with me Tyler answered, "Not me!!" Austin answered, "Not me....um...let me think." A mama knows that is a confession.

Triplet Dad Watches his Triplet Graduate from Bagdad

2009-05-30T23:07:00.002-04:00

This is the best triplet story I've seen in a while. What a great thing for this captain to get to see his triplet boys graduate in Georgia live from Iraq. Clif's brother teaches at this high school, so we'll have to see if he knows the boys. We'll be at their house tomorrow to celebrate Clif's nephew's graduation. Grab the tissue for this one.

Goggle Giggles

2009-05-30T20:14:00.000-04:00

Three-packs of Speedo goggles at Costco. I have already gotten my money's worth in giggles.

Fun With Tie Dye

2009-05-28T14:58:00.002-04:00

The kids are missing preschool, but having a ball with Ellen. She is here during the day to help out while I work. Tuesday they made tie dyed shirts. They dyed them here and she took them home to dry. They were so excited when she brought them back today.

From 2009_05_28

Ready to Swim

2009-05-28T09:49:00.000-04:00

Austin is so funny. He is so quiet and serious at swim practice and so goofy at home. He is so excited to be swimming this summer and wanted to pose in his suit.

Unidentified Object

2009-05-25T19:50:00.000-04:00

Any guesses on what the yellow object clinging to the wall is?

May Cold Snap?

2009-05-25T10:04:00.000-04:00

Tyer put the winter coat on that Grammy Poe gave him for Christmas. This was taken this morning. He put the coat on at 6pm last night ans still won't take it off!

Ladybug Lookout

2009-05-23T19:39:00.000-04:00

Austin just said, "Mommy. We should be on the lookout for lady bugs in the house. One day I brought one in and just lost it."

More T-ball Pictures

2009-05-22T21:44:00.002-04:00

These are just too cute.

From 2009_05_16

Check out John during the pre-game prayer. The kid on the other team with his finger up his nose is too funny.

From 2009_05_16

Why I am Not a Professional Photographer

2009-05-21T16:51:00.002-04:00

Clif needed a head shot for one of his vendors. After 16 shots we might have one that will work. I guess you shouldn't expect good results for your own family.

Shoes Under: The Infomercial for Budding Organizers

2009-05-17T18:36:00.004-04:00

We are winding down on a Sunday evening after a long day of cooking and laundry. The boys ended up on Fox Sports watching a half pipe competition. They were cheering the snowboarders just as much when they crashed as when they did triple turns in the air.

Then came the excitement. The infomercial for ShoesUnder™ came on and you would have thought is was a commercial for the latest preschool sensational toy. It kept the attention of my whole crew.

Tyler said, "I wish WE could have one of those to put our shoes in." As they went further into the video and showed kids putting it under their bed they were talking about it's ease of use. Tyler exclaimed, "That was easy! Let's get one."

Everyone else chimed in, "Yeah, let's get one! Please mommy, please!"

They hook 'em early don't they?

So if this looks like something you want to spend $10 click on the picture above and order one. Tell them a 3 1/2 year old recommends it. Maybe if you say Tyler sent you you'll get some bonus for just $19.95 (+S&H).

Bye Mr. Snail

2009-05-11T17:56:00.000-04:00

Austin found a snail on our front porch this morning. Before I knew it he had put it in a zip lock with some water. He insisted on taking it to preschool. This is what 'he' looked like at the end of the day.

Yuk!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T19:12:00.003-04:00

Happy Mothers day to all of the Moms in my life.

From 2009_05_10

I had a great day. It started with breakfast in bed and then we got to watch Austin walk the track at the new AAA Gwinnett Braves game. He had so much fun. Tyler fell asleep shortly after we got home and just woke up (7pm) so it might be a long night.

Only 4 more days of preschool. A new routine awaits.

As always, I have lots of photos to share.

From 2009_05_10

Austin and some of his team mates.

From 2009_05_10

Walking the track before the game.

From 2009_05_10

In front of the dugout with his coach.

From 2009_05_10

In the berm.

From 2009_05_10

Clif and John and Tyler.

From 2009_05_10

Clif taking pictures of me taking pictures.

From 2009_05_10

Slip-n-Slide

2009-05-02T20:16:00.000-04:00

The kids decided that it rained on their deck for the sole purpose of creating a slip-n-slide. They ran to their bedrooms to put on their suits. Tired kids = happy parents on a Saturday night.

Career Day

2009-04-29T17:00:00.000-04:00

Austin had career day at preschool today. He was supposed to dress up as what he wants to be. Since we didn't have a fireman costume, we redirected him. I'm glad that they change their minds lots of times before they finally decide. Although, our choice would be a fun one (especially for Daddy). Either way, he was adorable!

From 2009_04_29

The rest of the crew was excited for him. They really do support each other (in between arguing).

From 2009_04_29

Cutest T-ball Players

2009-04-21T22:27:00.004-04:00

2009_04_18

These are the cutest t-ball players I've ever seen. John and Tyler had their first game as t-ball players last Saturday and Austin had his first game of the season. Austin got the first hit of the game and the first game ball of the season. He was so proud. This Saturday they are going to be in a parade and have games again.

Tyler and John were typical 3-year olds on the field. They picked a little grass, Tyler picked on the kid next to him, and John cried. The coach actually sent him off the field crying to mama. As soon as he reached me he said, "I need my snack!" Priorities, 'ya know!

Easter Photos - Galore

2009-04-13T12:36:00.005-04:00

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter weekend. We had Nana (who Tyler is now calling Gram), Granddad, and Grammy Poe in for the weekend and Grandma and her friend Rose(Clif's mom) over on Saturday evening. Grammy Poe brought the kids her bunny cake which they devoured. We had lots of fun and too much sugar. Saturday was our church Easter Eggstravaganza. It was pretty chilly, but the kids didn't complain. There were ponies, a train, bubbles and more eggs than you can imagine. Tyler spent his weekend trotting up and down the stairs checking on Grandad who spent several hours working on his book. I'm not sure what they talked about but Tyler seems to have a new buddy. Dad had Bailey (their schnauzer) down with him. When Bailey was in his crate Tyler either let him out or pulled the crate around the room. He always finds something to occupy himself.

Austin talked Nanna into taking him to Target with his $4 and came home with a Bakugan set. Somehow I don't imagine they only cost $4.

Who takes over 100 pictures in a day? You guessed it...me. And since I feel like I can't post to my blog without a picture, I'll share some with you in a collage.

Stuck

2009-04-06T09:41:00.000-04:00

This would have been a great video! We worked outside this weekend. John was pulling on something that was stuck and he ended up stuck in this bucket. He was a little stunned but let me take a quick pic before we helped him out.

Say Cheese

2009-04-04T22:06:00.000-04:00

Cheeeese from Lynne on Vimeo.

The Tattler is My Cleaner

2009-04-03T14:08:00.001-04:00

I guess Tyler told on Austin (see previous post) to be able to use the vacuum.

Happy Early Easter

2009-04-03T14:03:00.001-04:00

This is what happened to the eggs that Austin brought home from preschool. Thank goodness I found them today!

I just heard Austin say to Tyler, "Don't tell my Mommy." Since I know his hiding places and they already had that egg smell and Tyler 'lovingly' tattled I found them quickly.

Sweet Slumber

2009-03-24T21:57:00.002-04:00

This is what happens to four little energizer bunnies when their batteries run out.

The last week has been a typical one at our house. There are always challenges. They are fussing and fighting and laughing and chasing and just being a typical family. This is the time of night that we can take a breath and stop the world from spinning.

It is always interesting to see how 4 kids so close in age transform. They have all changed so much in the past 6 months.

Austin is growing up so fast. He is learning so much and is growing into a sweet young man. He was watching me brush my hair Monday morning and said, "Mommy, I hope Lauren is as pretty as you when she gets bigger."

John is bursting with conversation these days. Tonight the boys were having a conversation about getting married. So far Austin and now Tyler have said that they are going to marry me. Tonight as Austin was telling Tyler that Daddy had already married mommy John said, "Mommy, you and Daddy are married and I'm going to have a rock star show and you are going to come watch me play rock star songs!" Earlier, he informed me of a shopping trip he was going to take. He said, "I'm going to get a race car and drive to Wal Mart. I'm gonna get milk, ovaltine, samwiches, peanut butter and j-e-l-l-y!"

Lauren has really turned into a sweet little girl (with occasional demonstrations of her strong will). She is planning on being the cheerleader for both of the boys' baseball teams this spring. She always gets a good report from preschool and is really starting to pretend with her dolls and the phone and loves to read.

Tyler...is a handful as always. He is having lots of trouble keeping his hands to himself at preschool and is not listening very well to his teachers. He's been informed by us that he had better straighten up or no baseball this spring. Yesterday he tried to bite Lauren in preschool and today he punched another child on the playground. When John gets in trouble at school he bursts out into tears when he sees me in carpool line. When Tyler gets in trouble he announces with glee that he got into trouble. We've got some work to do with him.

Ah...sweet slumber.

Seeing Kate

2009-03-20T18:54:00.000-04:00

Clif is a good sport. We are out of the house (just the 2 of us) and look what we are doing.

I Should Be Sleeping

2009-03-20T00:27:00.004-04:00

Instead of sleeping I am surfing. Here's another reason that I should blog more. I love adding these fun little tools and gadgets!

Do you want to make your site mobile? Try this:

Starbucks and Barnes & Noble Are My New Friends

2009-03-15T14:04:00.004-04:00

Thank you to my wonderful husband who just said. "You need to get out of here today." I'm sure that I'll be returning the favor (he suggested as such), but for today I'm enjoying some good coffee, a quiet book store, and Moodle.

What the heck is Moodle, you ask? I work for a virtual school and part of my job (actually most of my job) is helping in the day to day facilitation and management of our learning management systems. Moodle happens to be one of the course management systems that we use. This is a two week class tacked on to my working duties and Mom duties, but I'm really looking forward to being on the receiving end of some instruction again.

I'm scheduled to take the next 2 classes in their series, so I'll have my nose to the grindstone even more over the next couple of months.

Wish me luck! The balancing act continues.

[Edited because I can't spell in titles - no spell check ;)]

The Nice Police Officer - A Life Lesson for a 5 Year Old

2009-03-07T20:54:00.004-05:00

Yes, Austin had a little life lesson dealt to him this morning. It was a lesson in crying wolf. For the second time in a week he tried to dial 911. Last week they called back and I was able to explain how our little on had dialed and we didn't have an emergency. Today...not so lucky.

We were getting ready to leave and one of the triplets alerted me to the fact that Austin had called 911. I found a second phone and the line was in use, but I couldn't hear anything. When I finally got Austin to show me where he had hidden the phone he had dialed from I found 911 on the redial list. Crap!

We spent a lot of time and effort talking to him about the last incident. We went through the whole thing about how you only call in a real emergency and went over what constituted a real emergency. So he had fair warning. I told him that if the police arrived he would have to talk to him. I have never seen the color leave his face so fast.

He proceeded to go to the front door to be on the lookout. About 5 minutes later he tore through the living room and hid under the end table. Sure enough, a sqad car was on the street. When the nice officer came to the front door I said, "Officer, could you do me a favor? I need you to explain to my 5 year old what a real emergency is and when he should call 911." He said, "Sure? Where is he?" I said, "Hiding in the living room."

Austin reluctanly came out with big tears streaming down his face. When the officer asked if he had called 911 he said, "No. John did." And then Tyler backed him up. Geez! I said, "He's 3 years old Austin. He doesn't know how to dial 911." He finally fessed up and told the officer that someone had to be really hurt or the house needed to be on fire for him to call 911 again.

The officer was really good. A little to nice, if you ask me. He told him that he was glad he knew how to dial for help in an emergency and wanted him to know that they would come and help him out, but he needed to remember that he shouldn't call unless it was a real emergency.

I'm praying a lesson was learned by all because Tyler was all eyes and ears during this entire exchange! And tonight John was saying, "Austin called 11115555 and the poyice yofficer came and it wasn't an emergency."

Brothers

2009-03-02T23:23:00.000-05:00

Austin and John had a camp-out in their bedroom tonight. Tyler hasn't earned a spot yet. This is what I just found when I went to check on them. You can see John's little red head poking out of the covers. Big brother is taking care of his tent mate.

Dilbert

2009-02-28T23:33:00.004-05:00

I used to be an avid reader and fan of Dilbert. I guess things have been so crazy-busy at our house we don't really need any more cartoonish entertainment than we already have. With everything going on in the world, the US, our state, etc. it seems like a good time to read some Dilbert. Enjoy!

Pray for Collin

2009-02-20T20:59:00.004-05:00

Our thoughts and prayers go out to a very special little guy and his family. Collin is in Austin's class at preschool. He and his mother and brother were in a terrible car accident on Tuesday (2-17). His mother is recovering from surgery on both legs and he was supposed to have surgery today to repair spinal injuries sustained in the crash.

This video shows him telling that it is Austin and Kaison's birthday. This was the day we celebrated Austin's birthday at preschool. Austin, Collin and Kaison are in class together. Please pray for healing for this little boy and his family.

Pray for Collin from Lynne on Vimeo.

http://www.vimeo.com/3303822

Our Future Rock Star

2009-02-09T23:45:00.002-05:00

I don't think my friend Julie knew that John would take over Austin's gift, but he did. John is our future rock star. He is so funny! He's particular about exactly what qualifies as Rock and Roll. This guitar, apparently qualifies.

My Future Musician from Lynne on Vimeo.

Party Pictures

2009-02-07T15:36:00.002-05:00

You only turn 5 once right? Thank goodness because we probably overdid it a bit.

From 2009_02_03

IHOP birthday morning:

From 2009_02_03

Cupcakes at preschool:

From 2009_02_03

He and Kaison are in the same class and were born on the same day.

From 2009_02_03

Bowling today:

From 2009_02_07

Happy Birthday Austin!

2009-02-03T09:22:00.000-05:00

Today is Austin's 5th birthday. Where did the last five years go?

We started the day off with breakfast at IHOP, his most favorite restaurant ever! They sang to him and brought all 4 kids birthday ice cream.

We love you Austin!

Too Much Freedom

2009-01-27T14:49:00.000-05:00

We took down a gate too soon. I thought Tyler had stuck his head in the shower until I got a whif. It was hairspray!

Earning Timeout Can Make a Guy Tired

2009-01-26T17:13:00.000-05:00

Tyler was sent to time-out by the babysitter this afternoon. He isn't a stranger to time-out, but he seems to get there quite often when he's this tired.

Ice Cream Anyone?

2009-01-24T20:43:00.000-05:00

Tyler and John still have enough to share. We might rethink letting them have cones in the car.

Austin Got Married?

2009-01-23T13:54:00.000-05:00

So is 5 too young to get married? Austin doesn't seem to think so. He informed me after preschool that he got "married with" a girl in the triplet's class.

Triple Trouble

2009-01-20T17:16:00.000-05:00

There are no words to describe this.

It Keeps Getting Better

2009-01-07T23:48:00.002-05:00

I can already tell that age 5 is going to be the most fun yet to parent. Austin will be 5 in a month. Conversations with him are priceless. He's always had a great imagination, but now he has so many words and thoughts, we are having some jaw-dropping moments. If I only had my full short term memory, I'd post more of these stories. This one struck me enough to stay in my brain long enough to post.

I was saying good night to John and Austin who were bunking together tonight. We usually stay in Austin's room a little longer and talk about his day and what we will do tomorrow and next week. It's our planning time together. Lately he has started sharing more about what goes on in preschool. We send all four kids to our church preschool.

We attend our local Methodist church and the preschool is excellent. This year his teacher is Miss Jennifer. I think he has a budding crush on Miss Jennifer because he talks about her a lot. All four of our kids are learning a great deal in preschool and have frequent conversations about religion. At this age everything we talk about is very high level and they don't even know what religion they are. We just know God and baby Jesus and the whole cast of the manger scene.

This all makes the story more intriguing for me. As we were talking tonight Austin said, "Mommy, Miss Jennifer is making cookies and brownies. She's making them to share with our whole class!" I asked what they were celebrating. He replied with great enthusiasm, "Hanukkah!" Aren't 5 year olds wonderful?

Outsmarted by Our (almost) 5 Year Old

2009-01-05T21:20:00.001-05:00

Austin has a hard time going to bed some nights. I don't know if he's bored or what. He yelled downstairs that he had a boo boo and needed a band aid. I told him to come down and show it to me. He never did.

He claimed that he had to potty so I didn't think anything about his long visit in the bathroom. Until John (who was sleeping in Austin's room tonight) kept visiting him. I went upstairs to investigate only to find about 50 band aids on his bedroom floor. When I asked how he got the "child-proof" cabinets opened he said, "umm....I don't know."

As I headed for the bathroom I found this....

The cabinet doors are locked by magnetic child locks. He has never seen us take out any drawers. Smart kid!

Visiting Great-Grandma

2008-12-28T10:53:00.000-05:00

Great Grandma Alice just moved into a retirement home. We went to visit for the first time on our way home. They loved the nativity set that was just their size.

Fortunately No Firemen Showed Up

2008-12-27T23:36:00.000-05:00

Tyler is a challenge a minute these days. Last night he wiped out at my parents' house and ended up with a goose egg on his forhead the size of a ping pong ball. Tonight my sister's family came to our hotel to swim and Tyler showed his emergency preparedness skills.

Isn't that a nice way to say that he pulled the hotel's fire alarm?

The last time we were in this hotel he called the emergency operator from the hotel elevator - twice. If you look close at this picture you can see the fire lights flashing. It took them 45 minutes to figure out how to shut them off.

We were all still in the pool when he did it. By the time I made it to the front desk they were on the phone with the fire department. I made him apologize. Hopefully it made an impression.

Too Much Christmas

2008-12-27T23:22:00.000-05:00

We are headed back home from Nana amd Grandad's house tomorrow. This is what too much Christmas looks like on Lauren.

This is her pouty sleep. She was planning on staying with my niece and changed her mind. She cried all the way to the hotel and while she fell asleep for Rachel.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T16:29:00.000-05:00

We just left the children's service at our church. We have an awesome children's ministry! Every Christmas Eve they have a service done by all of the children. There is no practice. You just show up and sign up to be an angel, a sheep, a cow, a camel, a king, a wise man, etc.

This year was really neat. Instead of heavy ornate costumes they used baloons. A baloon artist was there to create crowns, angel wings, and wearable animal baloon costumes. It was great for our little ones. Well, except John. The kids marched up onto the stage in their groups as the story was told. John bawled the entire time.

He's fine now but told us several times that he didn't like being up there without us.

Have a Merry and blessed Christmas!

Seeing Santa

2008-12-18T21:38:00.006-05:00

We have been trying to figure out when to take the kids to see Santa this year. With all of our sickness the time has flown by, so we decided to make tonight the night. It's so nice to be able to be pretty spontaneous these days. Santa was awesome. Tyler who is usually afraid of anything in a costume got nervous just before we got up there, but look who ended up on his lap.

Santa was so sweet. This video shows why Tyler took to him so well.

Our Long Day

2008-12-18T16:14:00.002-05:00

Clif's heart is still not beating regularly. He's in atrial fibrillation and has been since September after being in rhythm for 2 years. It's been an ongoing battle with him since just after the triplets came home from the NICU almost 3 years ago.

The doctor wanted to try to do a cardioversion to get him back into rhythm. He had to be at the hospital at 7:30 am. Off we went with the kids in tow (in pajamas). We dropped daddy off at the hospital, came home for breakfast and a change of clothes, then on to preschool. I got to the hospital 15 minutes before they were supposed to shock him and they had already done it.

I met the doctor just outside of his room and he said that it didn't work. He wanted to try an IV anti-arrhythmia medication and try again in an hour. They had shocked him 3 times and his heart didn't even try to get back into normal sinus rhythm. We agreed to try the drug (even after Clif found out he would have to stay for monitoring for 4 hours after they administered it).

He had some issues with a high QT number. I don't really understand what that is technically, but it has to do with the speed at which the conduction system in your heart works. If, when giving this drug, the QT goes over 500, they are required to stop. Otherwise, his heart could slow down too much. His got to 534, so he only got 1/2 of a dose of the meds.

They tried the second conversion 30 minutes later. No dice. The doc said that he can just stay on the medicine (blood thinners, etc.) and he should be fine. The big reason for getting him back into rhythm was to get him off of blood thinners.

He had the shock paddles administered a total of 5 times yesterday and came home with orders to rest. His chest and back look like he's been hit with a branding iron. What we thought would be a couple of hours yesterday morning turned into an all day affair. I had to leave him at the hospital to pick up the kids at 1:30 and return to pick him up at 2:30. We didn't return home until 3pm.

As he rested and the kids got into wild-evening mode things got crazy.

Dinner wasn't planned. We've all (except Clif) been battling strep throat since Thanksgiving and Mommy has slipped on her planning...and laundry...and housework...and [fill in the blank]. While trying to figure out what to fix, Austin managed to get himself in timeout. I have no recollection of why. I just remember him needing to go.

While Austin was in timeout John and Tyler were in the kitchen. Lauren was in the bathroom. Austin decided a good tactic to get out of timeout was to request a trip to the bathroom. I let him go and began cleaning up a mess and went to check on Clif. I returned to the living room to hear water running. Austin had the sink in the half bath filled to the brim. Ten seconds more and we would have had it running over the sink.

Lauren was in the bathroom with him filling the toilet with toilet tissue. She had wet her underpants and pants. As I escorted them out of the bathroom I rounded the corner to see John playing his air guitar telling his 'audience'..."Thank you for coming! Thank you...thank you...thank you very much." I started to chuckle until I saw Tyler. He had an empty gallon jug of milk perched up on the water dispenser of the refrigerator. Water was pouring all around the jug opening and onto the floor.

As I reported this whole scenario to Clif all he could do was laugh. Some days that's all you can do. I still had to go to Wal Mart for preschool Christmas party gifts and pull ups. Then I had to come home and wrap those gifts.

I'm not hopeful that our Christmas cards will get delivered before Christmas, so if you're on our list...I hope you understand.

Christmas Photo '08 - Take 2

2008-12-16T00:14:00.003-05:00

We finally have it!

Santa's List

2008-12-12T12:46:00.004-05:00

If you have little ones you should create a video at Disney to see if they are on the naughy or nice list.

You should have seen the look on Austin's face when he saw it the first time.

These are the videos for our four:
Austin
John
Lauren
Tyler

Animoto Holiday Cards

2008-12-04T00:49:00.002-05:00

This is what it looked like trying to get their Christmas photo this year. Still no success! But we had fun.

Lauren's Surgery

2008-12-02T13:17:00.000-05:00

Lauren did great. We are almost ready to head home. The surgery only took 20 minutes.

Straightening Her Baby Blues

2008-12-02T10:41:00.000-05:00

Lauren is on her way in for eye muscle surgery. We'll update later.

Our Wiggles Concert Fun

2008-11-17T23:48:00.003-05:00

From 2008_11_wiggles

The Wiggles and Brock Gill

2008-11-17T11:10:00.004-05:00

I can't tell you when I've been to 2 events in the same day. Maybe never.

You know I'm a little crazy. You have to be a little crazy to keep any sanity in a house full of preschoolers. Do you see how much sense that makes?

Several months ago we purchased tickets to take the kids to see the Wiggles. They have been looking forward to that for a long time. A week ago I was invited to volunteer for a Compassion event on Saturday and I accepted. They ended up having enough volunteers for Saturday and asked me to do the 6-10 pm shift on Sunday. I said sure I could do that. Yes, I am crazy.

It worked out well and Brock Gill is awesome. He is a performer who advocates for Compassion. He is an illusionist and rivals the best I've seen. Clif and I once saw David Copperfield in person and Brock is equally talented.

And you've gotta like a guy who had a chocolate party to pay off the mortgage of a family in South America.

I got to meet him after his show and he is truly a genuine guy. Here is one of his most dangerous stunts.

Get this widget!

Daddy Does Wal Mart

2008-11-15T15:55:00.000-05:00

This is the look I got from Clif when I asked why he bought a honeydew melon. I'm not sure how Austin and John got this 3 lb. piece of fruit in the cart. Never mind, Clif probably unloaded it onto the belt at the checkout. Do you think he was frustrated and distracted?

Subtle Reminder

2008-11-13T09:52:00.000-05:00

Our preschool follows our public school schedule so when the public schools are out or have early dismissal so do we.

Since almost every hour of my day is accounted for these days it throws a wrench I my schedule. This week we have 2 early releases; yesterday and today.

They know us quite well and are always in wonder of how we manage things. They knew that I would kid around about 'forgetting' about early release. I told them yesterday that they had mistakenly put early release instead of late release. To make sure I remembered they gave me 4 flyers (1 per child).

Today I asked for white-out for the reminder flyers they were handing out. I was insistent that the 11:30 time should be 1:30. As I was getting the kids out of the car one of the teachers strategically placed the reminder.

Did I Blink?

2008-11-12T19:31:00.004-05:00

Granted, our household is beyond busy this fall....but when did this happen? I must have blinked for a year or two. My little Austin isn't very little any more. Today was his 50th day in preschool this year and his class had a 50s party.

He came home Monday and announce that he had to wear a white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up and have hair gel put in his hair. He said, "The girls are going to wear skirts with poodles on them!"

Every day I'm impressed at what a great preschool my kids attend. Austin is having an especially great year. These pics are from today prior to his party. He got in the van after school and said, "Mommy! I had a Moon Pie!"

Movin' On

2008-11-05T15:34:00.003-05:00

Grammy Poe gave Tyler the nickname "Movin' On" when she was here last month. Neither his feet or mouth are still for much more than a millisecond. He is full of life.

He came home from preschool today and made a big announcement. He said, "Mommy! I'm gonna be on stage and you're gonna be SOOO happy!" Apparently, they are already practicing for the Christmas program. Lauren confirmed. She wasn't nearly as exited, but she already knows some of the songs. I can hardly wait.

Voting

2008-11-04T07:38:00.000-05:00

Regardless of how the vote turns out I hope this inspires us all to turn out like this for every election!

I got in line at 6:40 and hope to be through in 3 hours. It is worth every minute.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T23:05:00.001-04:00

From 2008_10_Halloween

Potty Training

2008-10-30T21:42:00.002-04:00

Potty training triplets while working full time has been one of the hardest things I've had to do as a mom. I've tried several times with no real success. They haven't really been physically ready. It's no fun to take them to the potty every 20 minutes and have them pee in their pants 30 seconds after they leave the bathroom.

So we've had many starts and stops. Today I get to report that Tyler has pretty much trained himself and pulled Lauren along with him. John is another story. My friend Frances has helped. She told them that they get to have a spend the night party at her house when they can stay dry all day. For the last month all we have talked about is going to her house when they get potty trained.

The moment I knew it had sunk in happened the end of last week. The kids were at the table eating supper and I went to the bathroom. When I came out Tyler said, "Mommy! You are potty trained. You get to go to Frances' house!" That made me laugh out loud. He is too much sometimes.

Saturday Tyler said to Clif, "Daddy, I'm not wearing pull ups anymore!" Clif looked at me puzzled because he knew that we were getting ready to leave the house for a couple hours to meet Elmo who was making an appearance at a local toy store. I said, "OK Tyler. Let's try it." He's been in underwear ever since with only 2 accidents all week.

Sunday he went to church and we went to the potty before we left and Lauren wanted to go on the potty. Her pull up was dry and she was successful on the potty, so she has been in underwear all week. She has had a few accidents. We are still having to insist that she goes about every hour. As long as she gets to the potty with frequency she does great.

You just don't know how excited I am to be 2/3 done with this. The last 1/3 is looking like a strong holdout. He wants to go in the potty to play and wash his hands as well as watch Lauren and Tyler, but try to put him on the potty and he goes nuts.

Their frequent trips have cause infrequent posting to the blog, but it is totally worth it!

Here are some pictures of the kids meeting Elmo. What we didn't know was there were other festivals at the shopping center. They had a blast.

From 2008_10_Halloween

Fall Festivities

2008-10-29T21:31:00.003-04:00

Our kids go to an awesome preschool. They had a fun little morning to celebrate fall with pony rides, a pumpkin patch and outside games.

One of the contests was a scarecrow contest. Austin's class created "Sponge Bob Straw Pants". He was so proud.

From 2008_10_Halloween