A New Way to Keep the Kids Quiet

We may have to try duct tape next time because we could still hear them.





I think this was all Grandpa's idea!

Stickers are a big hit around here too. The new thing is to put them on their face or hands and then onto the paper from there. Mitchell must have had 20 stickers on his face.



Casey thought it was a great idea too.


Maggie put a couple on but was more interested in the snacks.

I bought material yesterday to make the kids' Halloween costumes. I don't sew or have a sewing machine but I think I can make this work, I've got a pattern in my head. It would be much simpler to just buy 3 costumes, but I think this will be fun to try. At least that's what I think now...I may be cursing myself in a week.

Story Time and Pumpkin Javelins

A few days ago I took the kids to a story time class at the library. The first thing they did when we got into the room was go for the fan that was plugged into the wall which they seemed more interested in than anything else. They would listen and look a little more closely when the leader would sing but weren't too interested in the stories. I think that with time they'll get into it a little more. I'm just really hoping next time we that the fan is gone. Mitchell wasn't impressed when I took the cord that he was sucking on away from him.

After the class was over we roamed around the building for a bit. Desta and her girls Abbey and Aida were there too and the kids all had to take their turns drinking from the germ, I mean water, fountain. After the girls left my kids found this one that they played at for quite a while.


I've gone a few places with them lately where we've walked in with no stroller or harnesses which as any parent of toddler triplets knows can be asking for trouble. But I have to say our kids do really well. The deal is that everyone has to hold hands until we get to where we need to go. So with me only having two hands that means one of two things: one of them hold onto a finger on one of my hands, one on the other. Then whoever is the third will either hold a different finger on one of my hands IF they are satisfied with which finger is not already taken OR they will hold onto one of the other's hand. We don't get anywhere really quickly but it does work. The deal is that they have to hold hands or else mommy carries them and of course they don't want that so they usually cooperate pretty well.

We went out for a walk yesterday (in the stroller) to Dollarama so I could get a few things. I usually find something for the kids to hold onto while we're shopping. I grabbed a bouncy ball that lit up when you bounced it which I thought was neat but realized it wasn't a good idea when they started throwing it down the aisles to see it light up. I took the balls away and the next thing I could pick up before they got upset was what I thought just a stick with a pumpkin on it. After I gave one to each of them I realized that these things were almost 3 feet long and are meant to be stuck in the ground so there is a somewhat sharp point on the end of the stick. Probably the best thing to do as a mother would have been to take them away because they could be dangerous, but I chose to avoid the major tantrums that would have then happened in the line up and just buy the sticks.

They actually look like small javelins with a pumpkin on the end. They dragged them on the sidewalk all the way home and played with them until inside bedtime. I knew if we could finish the night with no injuries I could hide them after they went to bed and they would forget about them.


Mitchell used his stick to fish out snacks from under the couch.


Sitting behind the couch on the window sill is something that they usually don't get away with, but at that point I thought I mind as well just take a picture and start fresh with better parenting the next day.

We went to Abbey and Aida's 2nd birthday party today and the kids had a great time jumping on mats and playing with the balls and scooters. Our kiddos are 6 weeks older than the girls and 3 weeks older than our other twin buddies Ruby and Leah. We all met while we were pregnant at our twin and triplet club's "What to expect" classes. We started getting together regularly when the babies were a few months old so it's been neat to see everyone grow up and develop their personalities over the past 2 years.

The birthday girls.



Maggie was jumping right out of her shoes.


Our kids were a little too into the gift opening.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We did our usual holiday road trip this past weekend spending a couple of days at each of our parents' places. We started in Muenster where we had a great turkey supper and got in lots of good visiting with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandma, grandpa and 3 great grandmas. There are 7 kids 4 and under when we all get together so you can imagine how crazy but fun it is in grandma and grandpa's house. It was an ice cream filled weekend for the kids. We went to Dairy Queen with my grandma and the kids really enjoyed their fries and sundaes. Then later that day (actually right before bed, right Grandpa?) they had ice cream cones. Mitchell ate his cone in a very interesting way - he ate all the way down one side, then turned it around and started on the opposite side.




They were trying to convice Grandpa to let them have a shower.

There was a 4 member band providing the music that night. Notice how Mitchell was gently trying to get Maggie to move over, but she was holding her ground despite having a fist shoved in her face.

Sunday morning we packed up and drove to Jackfish Lake. Mitchell had a 20 min nap that was not at the usual nap time so what that meant was when it was actually time to have a nap at grandma and grandpa's he didn't think he needed one. Instead he kept getting out his tent, convincing Maggie to do the same and teasing Casey who hasn't figured how to undo the zipper yet. That night we put a pin on the outside zippers so he couldn't escape.

There is lots to do outside at the lake to keep busy. We had fun outside playing with the rocks, leaves, flowers...




Being pulled around in buckets...




And being pushed in a wheelbarrel. Hmm, do they have grandma and grandpa wrapped around their little fingers?



It was a really nice weekend but as always it takes a few days to get back to our normal routine and rules.

Pumpkin Maze

We went to the Pumpkin Maze a few days ago and the kids had a great time! We were there with Tara, Desta and their girls. This was a group shot that Tara got that I think is amazing - all 7 2 year olds were looking in the general direction of the camera and no one was crying!



The girls look like they were scheming about something.

All of the kids, except one of the Gibson girls, making their way out of a dead end.

Maggie was doing her sprints through the maze.

A couple shots of Mitchell.


Casey tore the top off one of the pumpkins.

Casey, Ruby and Abbey (I think).

Week 1 of our new routine is done and I think everything went pretty darn good. I definitely miss the kids when I'm at work and think about what they're doing at home. But it does help knowing that they've adjusted really well to being with Amber. I thought time went fast when I was at home all of the time, but working 3 days a week (sometimes 4) will make the time go even faster, too fast. I'm going to have to do a better job of managing the time that I do have at home now.