Swinging and Sand

And spider. And worm. Joseph is very into insects and things....he picks them up without hesitation and likes to go looking for them. Unfortunately his excitement sometimes leads to the end of said little creature, which was the case when he pulled a spider out of the sandbox this weekend. I'm pretty sure the worm survived though....they're pretty indestructible. The girls had their first swinging experience, and as you can see they enjoyed it. The kids are all playing together more. Leah tried to suck on Hannah's foot the other morning, and while Joseph was napping this afternoon the girls entertained each other sitting on the floor playing with all kinds of toys they'd never seen before (aka "Joseph's toys" which he sometimes needs to be reminded to share). In the mornings the girls usually wake up first, and then Joseph comes into there room after he's up and keeps them entertained while we get ready. Sometimes this includes hugging and kissing them and other times it entails him taking whatever it is that is in their hands No real problems yet though, since it's all one way and they can't really take anything from him unless he gets close enough to let them. Just wait until Hannah and Leah can go to him!

Hats, Hats, and Helmet

We had some outdoor fun last weekend....Sunday was super hot so instead of going to the zoo (Joseph had a field trip with his class to the zoo this week anyway) we went downtown to Discovery World and walked around a bit by the lake (was a much cooler 75 by Lake Michigan). You may be thinking....huh...that doesn't look like water or scenes from the aquarium....and you would be right. That is our front yard. I didn't bring the camera with me that morning, but I did run inside to grab it after seeing how cute the little ladies looked in their hats that afternoon (Joseph would have looked cute in his hat too but he did not want to take off his helmet, and by 4pm on Sunday I had had enough of arguing with an extremely moody three year old).
Amazingly it looks like we're going to have more hot weather for memorial day weekend...though the extra day off work is way more important to me than the weather. And I have to say, I actually prefer the 60s and 70s to 80s and 90s (crazy right?)

This is How We Roll

A few favorite pictures

A few favorite pictures from last weekend. The girls are almost 7 months in these pics, just a few days shy. Leah's eyes are sparkling in her car seat.....I think all of the kids have Jay's hazel eyes. And Hannah continues to look a lot like Joseph did as a baby, though with the purple hat and shirt it's easy to tell it's her. Joseph is learning about spheres and prisms at school, and likes pointing them out everywhere we go. He actually gets to go back to the zoo next week with his class so he's already asking when that is (is that today? is that tomorrow? is that after nap?) He is also learning before and after and what comes next. And so I have told him he can play games on the computer (nick jr) after I finish what I'm doing. It doesn't always work but for now he is standing patiently next to me eagerly awaiting his turn.

Sitting Ladies Hidden Diapers

They look a little wobbly here, but Hannah and Leah are both getting pretty good at sitting on their own. You never know when they may topple over though, so you still have to be ready to catch them (or on squishy carpet, which for us is only in the basement) You can also see that their 3-6 and 6mos pants are getting a bit short. We busted out the 6-9mos outfits today. And if you look close enough you will also see that we store extra diapers under the cribs. Running out would be catastrophic.

Happy Mother's Day!

We celebrated mother's day by doing a quick photo shoot of me and the kids (the first one I think), and then we headed out to breakfast at one of our favorite spots. It hadn't even occurred to us that we would need reservations, but since we arrived at 8 there wasn't anyone to fight for the two unreserved tables. Everybody had breakfast, and to top it all off they were handing out roses and champagne to all the moms (there was no mistaking that I fell into that category). The bill arrived just as Leah was deciding she'd had enough of the place, so off to the zoo we went. With latte in hand, girls in stroller, and Joseph just short of a sprint we did a few laps around to see all the animals and even squeezed in a stop at the fish and reptile house on our way out (though Joseph's sprint had turned into a slow crawl by this point). Despite his exhaustion it is Jay and the girls who are napping now and not the little man. Hopefully that won't be the case for long or the afternoon might not be nearly as enjoyable as the morning was. ;)

Head, Shoulders, Toes, and Socks

The girls are getting bigger, but their socks are still pretty tiny and disappear on a regular basis. We've found them tucked inside of sheets, stuffed in sleeves, and most recently, coming out of our dog's behind. That sock has been appropriately bagged and tossed, never to return.

It's the Weekend...Yeee Hoooo!

It's the weekend and that means lots o fun with the little ladies and swim lessons and activities for the big man (Joe cool pictured here with his back pack getting ready to go to the pool). Joseph is actually still a Joseph. Not a Joe. And not quite a JD yet either (though that is still the plan....he just seems like a Joseph for now). As you can tell from the prior post, he is quite the comedian. Conversations with him these days are quite entertaining. He has mastered the tricycle, and is now trying to practice pedaling his bike. The girls are working on sitting on their own, Leah can do it for several seconds and Hannah is getting the hang of it, but not to the point where I'd mark the date in the baby books. (which amazingly I am sort of keeping up with). Leah also loves to reach for her feet and grab your face and pinch as hard as she can. (who knew a 17lb peanut could cause so much pain?) Hannah is grabbing too....I had to move her hand away from Leah's face a few times while we were all on the bed tonight watching Dora with Joseph (Jay was making sure the Penguins would be captured on DVR and getting Joseph's usual dinner of chicken and green beans ready). In a surprising turn of events, Joseph requested regular milk so that he could get big and strong. But then to character, refused to drink it several times before being convinced to do so. "Chocolate drink" has actually worked very well with fooling him into having milk on a regular basis. Though I have to say, I can't really blame him for not liking the stuff. It is rather disgusting. He's probably allergic to it. (I was) Hannah and Leah may have allergies too, but who knows to what. The doctor said eczema can be an early indication of that, and they get patches on their face (Hannah actually has it on her tummy, arms and legs too). Joseph is prolonging his bedtime by pooping. Can't really hold it against him, but now that I hear splashing and whispers I should probably go check on him!

Whopper of a Quote

Joseph and Jay had an amicable disagreement today on where their race in the yard should start, which ended with Joseph saying "It's not Burger King Daddy, you can't have it your way".

I can honestly say he got that from neither of us. We're both fans of the golden arches.

Another funny conversation with Joseph outside in the yard:
Me: Do you want to come inside and go potty so you can go back outside and eat?
Joseph: No, I just want to look at poop
(dog poo in our yard)

Fun at School

The kids have been having lots of fun at "school" this month. April is focused on celebrating children, so there have been ice cream socials, family breakfasts, trikathons, and art shows. After the trikathon Joseph became quite the pedaler...pedaling all the way to the park and back (8 blocks?). The girls even dabbled in art...playing with paint and glitter with their feet and making tie dyed onesies (neither of which are activities I would ever do at home so it's nice they do stuff like that there!). Everyone (except for moi....knock on wood) has a cold at the moment, and believe it or not it did not seem to start with school, but rather with Jay. Slowly it spread to Joseph, and then the girls.....and now I'm sort of a sitting duck. (Better than a one eyed goat I suppose.) Can you find Jay? (like Where's Waldo)

Hillarious!

Leah is actually laughing too, you just can't hear her over Hannah's loud hysterics. :)

Stats of the Children

Joseph's 3Yr Stats:
Height 38.25in (75%)
Weight 35lbs (75%)

Hannah 6mos stats:
Height: 27.5in (96%)
Weight: 17lbs 6oz (80%)
Head: 42cm (35%)

Leah 6mos stats:
Height: 26.75in (83%)
Weight: 16lbs 10oz (65%)
Head: 42cm (35%)

Apparently when you turn three they are no longer concerned with the circumference of your head. Joseph has slowed down a bit in height but still seems to be on the tall side (relatively speaking). He's chatting away (we used to think he was chatty but now he's reeeealllly talkative) and today he started swim lessons all by himself (he's apparently a very skilled backfloater. All those lengthy baths have paid off). Hannah weighs almost as much as Joseph did when he was 6mos old, and Leah is our littlest of the bunch. Amazing to me that their heads continue to be the same exact size (though clearly shaped differently....Hannah's head is flatter in the back, but starting to round out a bit). One thing we didn't realize is that babies start sitting up around this time (who can remember all these details, and you know I don't read about this stuff), though twins are usually on a bit of a different schedule since they are usually born earlier. I was concerned for about a day, but now I realize it's not a big deal. Joseph actually didn't start sitting on his own until a bit after 6mos so I'm sure they'll get the hang of it soon. They do afterall have the rest of their lives to sit on their bums.

L-L-L-Leah

As in "ch-ch-ch-chia". I say the girls names to all kinds of quirky tunes and phrases (like onomato-leah). Hopefully this will not cause any permanent damage. Leah is a happy little lady (she just doesn't smile every single time we take out the camera or each time someone looks at her), and she is also quite thoughtful. She is always paying attention. She watches our every movement. And she is extremely amused by Joseph. Last night Joseph kept shouting "Arrrrrby's" in her face (one of his pirate jokes....see if you can figure that one out) and every time he leaned in towards her she exploded with laughter. (seriously, most babies would have cried given the look on Joseph's face). Most mornings she is the first one to alert us to the fact that she and her sister are awake. Not by crying, but by talking and making all kinds of mmmm ahhhhh noises. She lights up and smiles as soon as she catches you in the room, and then as you are sitting down with bottle in hand she literally goes crazy as though she can't wait one more second to get that bottle in her mouth. Yesterday she actually grabbed it from me and held it on her own while guzzling the entire 7 ounces. This gusto over the bottle is only present first thing in the morning, as she usually takes her time, twisting and turning her head all around in response to voices and noises around her. Zerberts also tend to be her thing....she doesn't do it all the time...but every now and then she sticks out her tongue and zerberts to her hearts content. Ohh little Leah.

6 Months Old!

Well by now I think we can tell who's who....can't we? Hannah and Leah are six months old today and are just as different as they are alike. Leah is a happy baby but Hannah is ridiculously happy. They take turns going to sleep peacefully versus wailing until they give in to exhaustion. They have both started rolling over...Leah as of 4/2 and Hannah soon after on 4/3. Since then, Leah has found herself rolling around quite often (though not necessarily liking it) and Hannah more commonly twists and turns in all kinds of directions (but only turns over on occasion). Both of them move all around on their backs. Leah had turned herself sideways and was all the way at the top of her crib this morning when she arose (and her body just about spans the entire width of the crib) and Hannah frequently scootches around and pulls her jiggity elephant that is attached to her crib (which we now intend to remove given the number of times we've woken up to this jiggity creature in the middle of the night). Lots of chewing on toys, sitting in bumbo chairs, playing in exersaucers, interacting with Joseph, interacting with each other, grabbing on the gingham curtains, laughing with glee, shoving hands in mouths while slurping down gerber firsts....and of course.....there are still many bottles. I can't believe we have already been through six months of formula.....and only have six more to go! Will I be happy or sad when our baby girls are one year old?

Three and Cute As Can Be!

Joseph has been so excited for his birthday for so long....and it's finally here! We made cupcakes together last night, and this morning he begged to have them for breakfast. Instead he had a waffle and half of a banana with a candle stuck in it. We then drove the cupcakes to daycare (along with his sisters) and ran them into the building during the torrential downpour that was occurring. And wouldn't you know I made it all the way inside before any of those darn cupcakes tipped over? I'm sure none of the kids realized I used my finger to smear all the frosting back on. Joseph helped me carry them to his room and again lobbied for eating them right away, but was quickly distracted by the flannels that awaited him on the floor (dinosaurs, animals, and all kinds of laminated pictures with velcro on them that stick to a flannel pad on the wall). When I arrived to pick him up he was outside playing with the big bubble wand. He agreed to leave right away so that we could go home and "celebrate" his birthday. And so I packed him into the back of the van, went and collected his sisters, and off we headed down the road, through the tree park and back to our house (Joseph's favorite route) where Daddy awaited him with balloons. For dinner we served dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets, followed by a cherry cheesecake that Jay made which was "just right" (Joseph's words). We topped the night off with Backyardigans and new puzzles (in our rain boots of course). And for the first time, tucked our little man into bed with little underwear on. I can't believe he's three!

Ha-na-na-nah

We have lots of goofy little names for the kids, but this one for Hannah is my personal favorite (let me hear you say uh). She's such a cutie. She loves interacting with people and has come to terms with being on her belly and sitting in her bumbo chair. When she's on the floor she's twisting and turning more and more....a few times we thought she was going to roll over, but it hasn't happened yet. If you rattle something in front of her she kicks her feet like crazy and gets a very determined look on her face as if she's performing an Irish jig on her back. A lot of people think she looks just like Joseph when he was a baby. And many think they are all carbon copies of me....but we shall see. Only time....and nose....will tell.

State of Sleep & Present Activities

As it turns out, even if your kids are sleepers, that doesn't mean you get to sleep through the night. 1 toddler needing nightlight and tucked in + 2 babies going through growth spurts and teething + 1 lab with a delicate digestive system and a mom who has bionic hearing = maybe 3 full nights of sleep each week. At least that is how it's been the past month or so. It seems that we are kind of getting back into the grove of sleeping now so we'll see what spring will bring. So far it's brought us dead grass and lots of new tulips. Looking forward to the tulips blooming but not so much planting more grass. (Perhaps we should just turn our side yard into a sandpit.) And did you catch the mention of teething? That's right....Hannah and Leah are both working on those bottom chompers. I'm sure it will be a month or more before they surface but they are on the move. For now the girls are into the mushy solids....oatmeal, green beans, peas, and squash are the items on the menu this weekend. Next week we'll start sweet potatoes and then it's on to the fruits! (I personally am looking forward to bananas.) As far as present activities, when I started writing Leah was downstairs hanging out on her tummy with Jay and Joseph was showing Hannah how to use the excersaucer. He gets very excited when we take out a "new toy" and he's been digging all the rattles and chew toys. And since it's actually been 30 minutes since I first started this blog entry, all kids are now down for a nap. And now the question of whether to join them, or clean. Let's see....a flavorful coffee will wake me up but who is going to put away all of our crap?

Conwayville

33 years, 3 kids, and one almost 3 year old. I should pick 3 as my powerball. Maybe then I could establish the independent republic of Conwayville. For those of you not familiar with Conwayville, it is a country within a country. Kind of like the Vatican, only there isn't a pope, there is me. I would invite all my friends and family to live there (and maybe a babysitter or two), and we would enjoy late night bonfires (while the kids are sleeping), drinks by the pool (while the kids are sleeping), and I would perhaps invite a member of the Tenuta family to open a restaurant there so that we had great Italian food and good pizza all within walking distance. And perhaps if we invested our money wisely, we could even establish a high speed rail between Conwayville and the nearest big city. It would be magnificent.....

Happy St Patty's Day!

Working for the Weekend

Joseph hard "at work". He's been pretty busy and having lots of fun lately. They moved on from outer space to dinosaurs at daycare so last week he had fun at the Milwaukee Museum with his class checking out the old remains and caves. (I'm not actually sure what he means by the caves but he says he had a lot of fun in them). Since we had some nice days above 40 he got to get his bike out and practice pedaling. He's definitely improved since last year but prefers to only pedal downhill. (HA!) He was on his tricycle one night while Jay grilled brats and has been requesting them ever since. In fact today when I asked what kind of happy meal he wanted (it was a special treat today as his dad was in need of french fries), he said he wanted the brat one. (he got a cheeseburger instead) But according to Joseph he's "not having fun yet", but he will later when he goes swimming. When he wakes up from his nap Jay is going to take him to the pool, so that we can get him used to water again before swim lessons start up this spring. Or as Joseph would put it, he's going to go "practice blowing bubbles like a scuba diver".