Kicking it into Third Year

The title of this post is a little misleading in that we're really about to wrap up the triplets' third year and begin their fourth!  I can't believe those words just came out of my mouth...my kids will be three in a month and a half and this summer will be their fourth summer with us!  WHAT!?!  How did that happen?  I guess what they say is true... time flies when you're having fun!  Well, I don't necessarily know if "fun" is the right word to describe my emotions every minute...there are times when exhausting, frustrating, crazy, and out of control seem to describe my life better but we'll roll with "fun" because I'm pretty sure that's the way the kids see it.

Obviously a lot has changed since the last time I've posted...I'm trying to get better at setting some time aside to do this as it's a great way for me to keep up with family and friends and not to mention it's a great chronicle of our life!  Since I last posted (May of last year - yikes!) the kids have grown leaps and bounds.  They talk like crazy, ask questions, tell me stories, tell on each other (luckily they haven't really figured out how to lie yet...they mainly just own up to any accusations made by the other - unless the tattler is lying...now I'm starting to wonder), play independently a lot more and can run circles around me and Brian no problem.  The kids started to go to a mommy's morning out preschool last August which has been amazing not only for me, but for them.  As triplets, they are kind of their own little gang of best friends - always watching out for each other and only wanting to play with each other.  School gives them a chance to not only socialize with other kids, but for them to take orders and follow directions from another adult besides me or Brian.  While they're in school, I usually go grocery shopping and/or workout.  Of course I always have a list of a million things I want to do, but I can never decide where to start so none of it ever gets done...and so goes the life of a procrastinator.

All in all things are great!  We're gearing up for a summer of fun as the kids love to go outside and ride their tricycles, play in the water/mud, go for walks, draw with sidewalk chalk and hopefully learn to swim a little better than last summer.  We're also in the process of starting to pack some things up as we will be moving to Chapel Hill, NC in late July.  Brian has been accepted to the UNC Orthodontics residency so we will be ending our time with the Air Force and going back to school.  We've had a wonderful time in the Air Force and are so lucky to have been stationed at two really cool locations, but we're ready to take on this new chapter in our lives.  So just to get everyone caught up, here's a break down of each kid and their craziness:

Bryce:  He's your typical little boy.  We're pretty sure he thinks he's a dinosaur/lion (something that roars a lot) trapped in a WWE ring... When Brian gets home our living room turns into some sort of a gladiator wresting match and all I can hear is Bryce roaring and being "sceery" (scary) as he attacks his sisters and Brian.  He loves cars, trucks, planes, popsicles, "pinkle" (sprinkle) cookies, bouncy balls and just being outside.  Bryce talks about himself in third person and it's actually quite entertaining...we're working on getting the whole pronoun thing figured out but for now it's hilarious!

Ava:  She's still our shy little one, especially when we're around people she doesn't know.  At home with us, she's a happy, funny, smily, sweet little girl who loves to do things herself.  She always helps pick up toys and is our best eater but still somehow remains the smallest of the three.  Ava loves Frozen, Little Mermaid, chalk, coloring, animals, "farma john" cheese (parmesean cheese), playing dress up and her tricycle.  I kinda think she really likes to get all of my attention because if I don't listen to her, she starts calling me by my first name which is really funny to hear.  She also informed me the other day that she only says "Please" for Grandpa...we're working on her manners:)

Emma:  Emma is the little mommy of the group...sometimes I feel like I could just leave and she would run the house and have everything in order when I got back.  She likes to do everything for everyone.  In fact, this morning, Bryce was whining (shocking that one of the three is whining...I know) for his milk which was on the counter in the kitchen so Emma ran to the kitchen to go and get it.  She comes running back with it and says "Here you go Byce."  Well, Bryce didn't want Emma to get it, he wanted Mommy to get it, so Emma hands it to me and says to Bryce, "Here Mommy will give it to you Byce."  She just seems to "get" things, although sometimes this backfires as she thinks she can do everything and gets upset when I tell her she can't.  She's a snuggle bug though and loves to cuddle up in a blanket and watch a movie.  Emma loves being outside, riding her tricycle or scooter, coloring with chalk or markers, painting, puzzles, and playing dress up.

Me and Brian:  After a few long months of training, Brian and I both became Disney Princesses in February when we ran our first half marathon at the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  Brian ran it in some crazy fast time, but I just trucked along and finished in two hours and forty minutes or so.  It was a great experience, but I haven't run hardly at all since if that tells you how I really feel about it:).  I'm just staying busy chasing three little ones around all day while Brian is golfing... I mean working... at the Air Force base clinic.  We are starting to get things rolling in regards to our move later this summer...the logistics of moving with three kids are already making me feel dizzy.  Luckily, we have parents who are willing to help out by taking the kids and letting us have a nice relaxing time moving...I'm sure that's what we'll be referring to it when it's upon us:).  Anyway, I'll be posting updates more often as this is something I really do enjoy doing and I hope y'all enjoy reading it!

It's official...they're little humans.

This post title probably sounds funny to some of you, but to those of you who have ever been around kids (babies in particular), been around people who have kids, or have kids of your own, I think you're going to understand where I'm coming from.  I've heard this comment more than once by multiple people and it always makes me laugh because it's true...for some strange reason, at some ambiguous point in a baby's life, we decide that they are "like little humans".  This is the comment I get and I'm sure many of you have heard or even said when you tell someone that your child (or children in my case!) is talking, pointing, forming opinions, eating "real people" food (as if the baby food isn't meant for people), running, playing and interacting.  They are no longer babies who clearly can not relate with the human race since they do the most ridiculous things...like spit up, drink from bottles all day, sleep a lot, don't sleep at all, cry and not talk, crawl and not walk, whine, and basically live life in their own little world where all they look at is the floor and knees all day (oh yea and faces since they have to be held all the time).  I've heard my husband, brother, friends, parents and even myself say things like, "Look, they're eating with a fork!  They're like little humans!" or "She said 'milk' and pointed to the fridge like a real human!".  These comments sound so ridiculous but they do confirm one thing...my babies are growing up and are doing what they are supposed to do just like real humans!  I guess it also means we're slowly (and quickly at the same time) leaving the baby stage and moving on to bigger, better and faster things like eating with utensils, running everywhere, getting into everything and voicing an opinion!

Through all of this, it's fascinating to watch their little wheels turning in their brains when they encounter something new or when they're trying to figure something out.  It's amazing to see how quickly they pick up a new skill or new word...it's literally almost daily.  I love how they constantly want to copy me and do everything I'm doing whether it's brushing my teeth, cooking dinner, or picking weeds in the backyard...everything is interesting to them and it's probably because they are finally "human"!  

At this point, my life is absolutely crazy!  The kids are into everything...and by everything I mean literally, everything.  They want to play with anything they can get their hands on and by play I mean stab each other with it, break it, eat it or throw it (particularly throw it into the bathtub they have now figured out how to turn on!).  They always want to be "aye-id" or outside wreaking havoc in the back yard pointing to all the Vida land mines and yelling "poo-poo!" just in case I needed to know it was there.  Additionally, water has completely peaked their curiosity as they just can't seem to stay away from it and now it's turned into dumping water on each other which leads to screaming and crying and hitting...aaaaand all the neighbors wanting to call child services on me because it sounds like my kids are in utter agony from the previously mentioned drenching.

Coming to my house, at this point, is like getting free tickets to the circus.  Bryce likes to perform Cirque du Soliel acts on his rocking horse by standing on its back while still holding on to the handles...we're in trouble when he really tries to stand all the way up.  Emma is the magician that can make anything vanish...there's a black hole somewhere in my house with about a million pacifiers along with some legos and Mr. Potato Head pieces and who knows what else.  Ava is the clown who is wearing any kind of clothing she can find...shoes, hats, glasses...she pretty much goes through the laundry basket and just puts stuff on.

We pretty much lead a fun and exhilarating life with every day being completely a surprise as to what could happen!  On the plus side, I've been able to get out more with them by myself.  I still get lots of stares and lots of crazy comments but it's my sanity to be able to leave the house once in a while to get things done.  Of course this means taking about an hour and a half to get ready for a fifteen minute errand and it must be done around nap time...we don't dare mess with the sacred nap time.  We no longer use the triple stroller so instead, I'm bound to the double and I end up carrying a baby which has been awesome for my biceps - haha!  I regularly take them grocery shopping, to Chick-fil-a, Target, the neighborhood playground and to their gym class.  We regularly play in the backyard (thank God for fences) digging in flower pots, playing in the kiddie pool and water table, catching ladybugs and lizards, climbing on the playset, eating dirt, and creating lots of loads of laundry for mommy to do since they don't understand the concept of "clean" yet.  Like I mentioned earlier, their vocabulary is changing and growing almost daily with new words and sounds.  I constantly feel like I'm playing charades or am being some sort of interpreter trying to figure out exactly what they are saying to me over and over again.  Clearly they know what they're saying because they are so serious about it but sometimes I just don't know what they are trying to tell me so I just shake my head, agree and act really interested to make them happy because if they're happy and acting like a "little human", then I'm happy!