Mmmm...Markers...Yummy

The triplets are no longer allowed to have dot markers. Gracie would actually be okay; she is the only one who does not pretend they taste like lollipops.

Johnny is the worst of the marker-eaters. After this incident we changed turquoise diapers for 36 hours. So grody.

My favorite part is the perfect dot on his forehead. Part of me thinks it is courtesy of an older sibling. The concentration is impressive, though.


So gross.

Lizzy does well for several minutes and then the temptation of whatever it is that markers taste like kicks in and then any color is irresistible. The picture is terrible - she had just done a taste-test on the pink dot marker.



Gracie. Well, Gracie just likes to color. She doesn't nosh on crayons or markers anymore unless she does it to tease (puts one in her mouth, smiles, and says "YUCKY!").




This eating-of-the-crayons/markers gig caught me off guard. Ainsley tasted crayons once and never put on in her mouth again. Without prompting, she always put the correct caps back on the markers before she used a new one. Crayons were rarely broken and it was devastating when it happened. Not sure what to do with these guys...

So serious. I've told her a couple times she doesn't have to stay in the lines if she doesn't want and she looked at me as if I was a crazy-person.

We had to get dressed up one one of our recent coloring adventures. Lots and lots of coloring and bonding in Ohio.

Lizzy, Lizzy, Lizzy

I've been asked several times over the past few weeks about Lizzy (don't feel badly if you are one who has). I quit reporting on her progress or what's going on because:

1. My kids deserve some privacy, especially about the highly personal things
2. It is sometimes too complicated and tedious to explain in the written word

I will say that she is great (except for that dang biting!) and very "Lizzy", meaning she progresses on her own time and in the manner she sees fit. The kid continues to surprise us and we are beyond thankful for our state's Early Intervention program. It has brought a lot of relief and answers and support, and our therapist's enthusiasm for Lizzy Lou's advancement keeps us going.

Thank you all for asking and I apologize that I have left you hanging, especially since so many people are praying or have prayed for her. You deserve some level of information. :) Feel free to inquire, even if it's via email - I love to talk about her and brag about what she is doing. It just won't be in a public way.

Run Away!

I was able to escape a couple weekends ago and it was so, so wonderful. Why was it wonderful?
1. I had no responsibilities.
2. I slept for 8 consecutive hours for the first time in one year.*
3. We did absolutely nothing except talk and talk and talk.

There were four of us girls and they were the kinds of friends who don't require a lot of effort to maintain. We are women who, because of work and family, sometimes have to go weeks or longer without really checking in with each other and yet, when an opportunity does pop up, we fearlessly jump right in the deep end. There isn't a lot of paddling around the shallow waters with these ladies and I appreciate that beyond measure.

So what did I learn?
1. I move too quickly. I did not realize how I speed walk through Life until I stepped away from it and I hope my kids don't have a memory of a mom who races frantically around, hurrying everyone along.
2. I need to sleep more. After one full night's sleep I was HYPER. Think of how much energy I would have and therefore how much stuff I can get done if I got 7 or 8 hours/night? Oh. Wait. See #1.
3. Evidently I need to drive more slowly. This is here say from John, so...Sabrina we need to talk about this because I was going to offer the car again next year. And there will be a next year.
4. Time with friends (sans children) is critically necessary for my emotional health. My spiritual well runs dry a lot and it was overflowing after just a few hours of conversation with people who know me and still love me.

Thank you, Rachael, Sabrina, and Abi, for running away with me. Thank you for listening to my oft-times ridiculous opinions and letting them slide. Thank you for not judging me. Thank you for the wise counsel. And thank you for your compassion and empathy.

John, thank you for taking care of the Monkey House for the weekend. You are amazing.

Susie, Joan, Maggie, and Mom and Dad - thank you for helping out so I could come back to a peaceful home on Sunday.

*The kids sleep through the night; I just usually get 6 hours, which is not enough. Sorry this was confusing.

Just A Little Sigh.

The other day I was asked if I was pregnant (I'm not). This was not the first time I've fielded this query since having the littlest ones, mind you, and I'm surprisingly not mortified. The reason I'm not offended is that I sort of look like I'm an easy 4 months along because of my "triplet tummy". Lots of us triplet moms have The Tummy and it is because our abs took a psycho amount of abuse during the long, long weeks we carried our sweet babies. Outside of medical intervention (the likelihood of which is pretty silly), my anti-six-pack is here to stay.

It makes me wonder, though, how many people have wanted to ask? It isn't as though the ones that did are freaks or utterly clueless (one was even a mom of two) and if they felt it was obviously safe, how many others? That's the only part that's sort of a downer. Hence, just a little sigh.

My Sweet Children Are Systematically Destroying My Home

I had a blissful weekend away with some girlfriends which is a couple posts from now, and while I was gone John sent me this image:




It is orange marker. On my dining room chair. Complements of this funny (no, really) child:



That was four days ago. Today I realized I hadn't seen The Boy in a few minutes and I didn't hear him. We know what he is capable of so I raced frantically around the house calling his name. I finally discovered him in my bedroom, squeezing 1/2 a bottle of this:



All over this area of my room:




Which then required this:



Because how else does one get a LOT of pink strawberry shampoo out of carpet? To be honest, Fooz got it out for me because she has the wet vac and I stayed with my screaming children (who are deathly afraid of vacuum cleaners). Actually, to be completely honest she even had freaking-out-Johnny for most of the time because as scared as he is of vacuums, he loves Fooz more and he wanted to cry with her over me. I'm okay with that. Just like I'm okay with my son smelling like Strawberry Shortcake because he deserves it. For the record, he did feel terrible and couldn't even look at me for awhile. At least I know he has a conscience. Now all we need to do is teach him how to run away from temptation.

So, I'm just wondering what is next for the week?

And I wonder why I haven't had time to blog lately...

Joy

The first ride on a carousel.




Shockingly, the little girls weren't as fired up about the experience. Ainsley was thrilled of course, but she's a pro at carousel riding. Gracie was hungry and not with me (one of my friends was holding her), and Lizzy just didn't get what was going on until after the thing stopped spinning, and then she was all about NOT getting off.

And Because There Haven't Been Recent Pics

Here we are! My almost 5-year-old and 21 month munchies!

Ainsley after a delicious blue Popsicle.

The Boy

Miss Gracie

Lizzy Lou