ABC = The Good Life

Time

2011-08-06T22:24:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I will take three four year olds to Church for the last time.

Next week I will take three five year olds to Church for the first time.

How is that even possible???

My chest is tight and it's hard to breathe. How can my 3 pound babies already be 41 pound little boys??? All of my childhood I spent wishing time would speed up, I couldn't wait to be grown up. Now that I am, I find myself wishing it would slow down. I don't want my babies to grow up. I want them to hug me and kiss me and think I am the most wonderful person in the world forever. I want to be the only one who makes them feel better and who holds their hand to cross the street. I want to act silly and hear them laugh hysterically. I want to check on them in the middle of the night every night and give them one more kiss on the top of their heads while they sleep and whisper I love you my sweet boy to each of them. I want to look in my Husband's eyes as they giggle and play and know how much we both love them and how they are the biggest gift we could ever have been given.

I just want my babies to stay my babies.

But they won't.

They will keep growing and will one day leave. As much as my heart will break that day, it will somehow also be full of pride and joy. I want to cook them a dozen eggs each every morning in their teenage years. I want to rush like a madwoman from game to practice to who knows what, supporting them. I want to see the men they will someday be. They will each be a great man, like their great father.

But not yet.

Tonight they will still be my little boys and I will still tuck them in again when they kick the covers off and give them each an extra kiss and tell them that I love them again.

Tomorrow I will take my four year olds to church and I will hug them extra tight.

Time goes by too fast to not appreciate every second.

Nighty-night.

Jesus Freaks! :)

2011-06-08T13:45:00.000-04:00

Take a walk with me and the Justice League :)

2011-06-07T17:00:00.000-04:00

Who says markers are for paper?

2011-06-06T19:49:00.000-04:00

Friday, ABC and I "ran by" our favorite bouncy place, Bouncing Angels, to chat with our friend Stella for a minute. We ended up staying for 8 hours. :)

At some point during this marathon, the boys were drawing me pictures(that I was not allowed to see until they were finished) and realized that since they did not wear a super hero costumes, they should just draw their own on.

Meaning, they markered themselves silly.

Now what I was doing during this, you may be asking yourself. I was working on a VERY cool project that Stella and I are organizing together, details to be announced soon. :)

At one point, Stella told me, "You might want to see this."

So I went to take a peek. As I look over the counter, Collin was drawing circles around his face.

Time froze for a minute as I debated. What do I do, yell, cry, be angry?

Nope...I laughed.

And it was a good thing I did, or I never would have seen what followed. They were SO full of pride in what they had created. For the rest of the day I heard all about "Seaman Waveman" and their superpowers.

If I had yelled would I have found out that Seaman Waveman can ride on waves to rescue children who need help?

Probably not.

Now don't think that we didn't talk about drawing on ourselves. They know this, but sometimes a four year old(or three) needs to express himself in a way that paper can't let him yet. And that's okay. It washes off eventually.(They weren't washable markers so it might take a bit longer.)

The thing is, the marker will fade from their bodies in days, but how long would it take for my anger to fade from their souls.

So I praise them for their creativity and gently talk to them about not writing on ourselves unless we ask Mommy first. I think that mark will stay on their soul longer and it's a mark that I'm proud of.

And it made for great conversation at the birthday party we attended the following day! :)

I know you want to see the finished product, it's coming, keep in mind that they are exhausted in these pics after a long day. Lex looks angry, but his eyes were closed the first time so I asked him to open them and got this, lol. I didn't have enough charge to take the pics when it happened, so this was right before the bath. Also, please forgive the messiness of my house, we are exploding toys right now...

And NOW...presenting "SEAMAN WAVEMAN(S)"...

"Who took my curly claw???"

2011-05-27T13:34:00.000-04:00

So ABC and I were playing "Who took my curly claw". Basically I run around shouting that and they laugh hysterically while they run away and lock themselves in the bathroom to hide. I hide somewhere and wait until they come out and jump out and surprise them and repeat the whole process over and over.

The game was going really well, we'd been playing for about 45 minutes and the excitement was just building and building. Until it got quiet in the bathroom.

I waited right around the corner and nothing. Just as I was creeping towards the door about to have them open it I heard it slowly swing open.

I jump out surprising them and shouting, "YOU TOOK MY CURLY CLAW!!!", and while I'm speaking I catch a whiff of the intense aromas wafting from the bathroom. I then see Lex holding a roll-on soap/bubble bath body paint, painting his stomach. Then I notice the hair...it's looking a little wet and strange. So I nervously ask, "Ummm, boys, what were y'all doing?"

"Oh nothing Mommy, just shampooing our hair." *Big smile*

"Okaaaay, that doesn't smell like your shampoo, what did you use?'

Pointing to a now empty bottle, Lex says, "Oh just that one..." and nervously adds a "tee hee" *big nervous smile*

Hmmmm, "that one" that he was pointing to happens to be my "Sleep" Aromatherapy Bubble Bath with Lavender.

What to do???

I look at each of their proud, yet nervous smiling faces and I crack up laughing.

So what that I am now out of bubble bath?

So what that I now have three four year old boys that smell remarkably like a 90 year old woman.

So what that said four year olds now have a very interesting hairstyle, complete with a bubble or two.

So what that their tummy's are now canvases painted with soap body paint?

So what???

Now we have a funny story that we will all laugh about 30 years from now. And laughter brings us together, laughter throws it's arms around us and makes us a family. Laughter makes our hearts lighter.

We laugh together and I gently tell them that we only wash our hair and stomachs, with water and soap, in the bathtub.

Bath time tonight will be a little quicker...
and a little bubblier...

Have a great day! :)

Wow...

2011-02-21T21:49:00.004-05:00

So today my AMAZING Hubby started a blog. Here it is: http://imagetalker.blogspot.com/
Told you he's AMAZING! :)

Anyways, I hopped over here to look around and I was SHOCKED! I have not blogged since Thanksgiving! How can that be??? I am going to attempt to catch you up on the past few months...

Thanksgiving morning Daddy went to Tokyo again...we missed him TONS and had freakishly cold weather while he was gone. We kept busy and went to lots of festivals and fun stuffs while he was gone. We also joined the Y and began an exercise obsession. They have a zip line, rock climbing wall and playground inside, not to mention gymnastic stuffs and tons of toys...ABC loves it as much as I love sweating it up! :) Speaking of the boys, to this day ABC thinks the whole reason Daddy goes to Tokyo is to buy them stuff. And with as much stuff as he brought them(us) back, I am starting to believe it myself, ha ha! The day he came back he barely made it home. A blizzard hit Chicago, his layover and I believe his plane was one of very few that made it out! We finally reunited at the airport at 2am! That was the latest ABC has stayed up, but they did great! We are sooooo happy he's home!

We had an amazing Christmas!!! I think we all actually had bronchitis and Brody woke up at 5am with a fever. I thought he had gone back to sleep at 5:15 when I heard him yell, "GUYS! IT'S CHRISTMAS!!! SANTA CAME I SAW IT, LET'S GO OPEN OUR PRESENTS!!!" So, what do you do after that? They outnumber us, remember??? Despite the sickies and the super early morning, we had a BLAST! There is nothing like Christmas with three four year olds, it's a gift in itself!!!

New Year's Eve, we had a little party at home with just us. After we snacked and played, we shot off a few fireworks and then drove out to the beach to watch the big ones at Midnight over the Atlantic Ocean! It was surreal. As we were driving out there, visibility was awful, you could barely see the road, fog was just thickening with every second. We were sitting on the beach unable to see each other when the fog cleared. It seriously cleared just in time for the fireworks and then came back when they were over. God blessed us with a beautiful start to the New Year that we'll never forget!

I have to run, more updates in a bit!
Merry Christmas!
Happy New Year!
Nighty-Night! :)

What we are thankful for...

2010-11-24T19:55:00.003-05:00

Since we will be missing our Daddy who will be traveling to Tokyo tomorrow, we celebrated Thanksgiving a day early this year. Before we ate we went around the table and shared what we are thankful for. Now I will share it with you.

Lex is thankful for Daddy, Mommy, Brody, Collin and Lex. :)

Brody is thankful for Mommy and Daddy and that's it! A few seconds later he was also thankful for Collin, Lex and himself. :)

Collin is thankful for rollercoasters that we can all ride together and big slides that we can slide on all together at SeaWorld.

Daddy is thankful for falling in love with Mommy and for the three most special presents ever...I know, it's tough one...Lex, Brody and Collin! :)

And now Mommy's turn.

Mommy is thankful for...

God, for His presence in our lives, for all of the blessings He has poured over us and all of the lessons He has/does teach us.

Dove. For all of his hard work to take care of us. For the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the home we live in. He works so hard to provide for us. He is an amazing Husband and Father. I am so thankful and blessed to still be in love with him over a decade later.

Lex, Brody and Collin, for all of the joy and laughter they have brought into our lives. For all of the hugs and kisses and I love you's and for all of the silly moments and for all of the tears. For every moment that you have existed, we love you so much! As I am saying this, Collin added, and for all the messes we make too. And yes for all of the messes you make too. I am thankful for every bit of it!

Indy, for being so patient when your spoiled world was thrown upside down with the addition of three curious little boys! And for accepting them and loving them as you do us!

For all of our family and friends. We are so, so blessed to be surrounded by so much love! We are so grateful for every person that has been a part of our lives somehow. We love you so much!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Gobble-Gobble and night-night!

The Ventacular Spider-Man!

2010-11-21T20:58:00.003-05:00

Superheroes are a BIG deal in our house right now, and they have been for awhile. I guess technically they have always been a big deal in our house, considering one of the first presents I gave Dove was a real Batarang. There is also fact that he is not only a comic book artist, but a Professor of Sequential Art, aka a teacher of comics. :)

Now that Daddy has three little minds to warp, they are an even bigger deal. I mean, the man not only bought a bullwhip 2 months early for his Indiana Jones costume for Halloween, but he watched YouTube videos and taught himself how to crack the thing in as many ways as humanly possible.

And I am not hating on him or his bullwhip. I secretly love it. You see, he has such passion for everything he does. From music(if you haven't heard him play guitar, you are seriously missing out) to comics, to whip-cracking, to whatever he takes a fancy to, he throws himself into it 2000%. And it shows.

I already see that being instilled into my boys. They don't halfway do anything.

Including superheroes.

Collin has been trying desperately to get bitten by a spider for several months. Any little injury immediately becomes a possible spider bite to change him into Spiderman. He had a temporary tattoo on his hand that after a couple of days had a place worn off in the middle. He informed me that it was a spider bite and pretty soon webs would start coming out of it.

Any sticky hand in our house gives said owner of hand superpowers to climb walls, cars, curtains, basically anything that is vertical. Also thanks to Spiderman.

At least 20% of every day is spent in some type of superhero costume.

Yesterday we visited Target dressed as Superman, Batman and the Flash. They walked through with their heads held high, repeatedly telling us how everyone was so happy that the Justice League was there to protect them. They all posed together for a few photos and left the store knowing they had done their duty well. The citizens of Target were kept safe.

As we are heading home they break out in song. "The ventacular, ventacular, ventacular Spiderman!" It's so hard to hold the giggles inside, even though I have heard this same rendition a million times. It should be, Spectacular, spectacular, spectacular Spiderman!

But you know what?

I like ventacular better. And I will bite my cheeks raw if I have to, to hold the giggles at bay. This is such a special thing for all of my boys to share. To watch my Husband, their Daddy share his love and passion for this with his sons.

Watching The Justice League(ABC) take on Brainiac(Dove) 20 times a day is one of the coolest things ever.

I'm a lucky lady.

I have four superheroes watching out for me.

Night-night.

Halloween

2010-10-23T21:21:00.002-04:00

There is so much excitement in our house!

I mean really, is there anything better to a four year old, than dressing up as your favorite thing in the world and running around with your friends while being given more candy than you knew existed? (I hope that made sense, it does in my head, but I'm also exhausted.)

But seriously, no not really. Especially when you add in weeks of festivals and cookie making, pumpkin painting and whatever else you can come up with!

Our house may spontaneously combust at any moment!

And I LOVE IT!

And I love that it actually DOES get better! Because this is just the kick-off to the Holiday Season!

This is just the preamble to Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

We are a Holiday family. We put up our Halloween decorations the first week of September. Our Christmas decorations will most likely be put up the first week of November.

And why not?

Who cares what anyone else thinks? The only thing I care about is the pure joy that I see spread across my children's faces every morning and the feeling in my heart that that joy brings.

If you see a rainstorm of yellow, orange and red sprinkles, pumpkins, mountains of holiday crafts and ridiculous amounts of candy, you will know that our house actually did explode. :)

Nighty-night!

As the clock strikes...

2010-10-16T23:54:00.002-04:00

closer and closer to the close of my 32nd Birthday, I can't quiet the urge to write this.

I am sitting on our bed listening to the slow and steady rhythms of you, my beloved Husband sleeping peacefully. And I am in awe.

I met you when I was a child. A little more grown up than most, but still a child. I was 16. You threw open a door and walked out and I knew in that moment my life would never be the same. I fell in love with you that night, a friendly love that was to grow into so much more. I knew after spending a few hours with you that I would marry you one day, even if our lives led in separate directions for awhile. And now 16 years later, I can truly say that I have never loved another person as much as I love you, Dove McHargue.

You have seen me at my lowest and you have seen me at my best and at both of those places you have loved me. You see me for me. When I am broken, you put me back together. When I am reaching for the stars, you lift me up so I can reach further. You are my best friend, my lover, my shoulder to cry on. You echo my joy and you are patient, kind, loving, really just plain amazing!

Our greatest achievement is that, together we have created a family. As a Husband, you are AWESOME and as a Father, you are even...I can't even put it into words. So many men would freak at the idea of triplets, but not you. You took care of me through a high-risk pregnancy with many ups and downs and jumped right in when our beautiful boys were born.

I wish I could put everything I'm feeling into words, but it's impossible. My love for you is beyond words, but I hope you know how deep it goes. I could not imagine a second of my life without you.

So let me close with this, barely making a dent in what I want to say.

Thank you.

Thank you for loving me and our children. Thank you for loving God. Thank you for loving life and living it with joy. Thank you for providing for us, for the food we eat, the house we live in and the clothes we wear. Thank you.

You always ask what I want for my birthday and it always has been and always will be you. You and our boys just having fun together. Making memories. That is all I want. I love each of you so very, very much.

God has blessed us so, so much, the greatest blessing I ever got was you...opening that door.

I love you Husband.

Thank you for giving me the best birthday ever!(again, you do every year!)

Nightie-Night

Meat, action and so much more!

2010-08-10T19:51:00.003-04:00

For months, every toy we've seen has elicited the same response, "I want this for my Birthday"!

Now that said birthday is only a few days away, I gots nuthin.

There have been so many exciting things that they want so badly. And then they are out of sight, out of mind. Until now.

Today marked them actually telling us things, they REALLY want. They even told a friend something that they actually do want and have wanted for awhile.

This is the list I have compiled as of today:

Lex:
Toy Story 3 Lego Train
Lego Mack
Whoo Hoo and Opie(GeoTrax)
Cracked Bridge
Trampoline
(I just re-asked him and he replied, the cracked bridge, that's it.)

Brody:
Real Falcon that eats meat(been on the top of the list for awhile now)
Phineas and Ferb Guitar
Trampoline
Batman Castle

Collin:
Video Game
Kratt Brothers that can go in the pool and have a tent.
Guitar with great action(my personal fave from his list, Daddy beamed with pride and let out a holla upon hearing this...)
Lizard that can go in the pool

So wish me luck, this is a pretty interesting list. Hopefully they won't be disappointed with the lack of real animals they receive.

Nightie-night! :)

Broken

2010-07-23T08:28:00.005-04:00

After two weeks of fever, coughing, Dr's visits and being stuck inside during July, Croup has left our house! :)

Last week we had something happen that I have been meaning to share, but alas, I could not find the time. So here it is now.

I have been awoken several times a night for the last couple of weeks, and most nights slept in ABC's room. One of the few nights I spent in my bed, I was awoken at 5am to Brody shouting, "Mommy, Mommy HELP!".

I rush in to their room, waking up as I go.

"Baby, Mommy's here, what's wrong?"

"Mommy, my legs don't work right anymore! They are in BIG trouble!!!"

Concerned, I say, "What happened, do they hurt?"

Brody, completely disgusted with his legs, "They keep taking their blanket OFF, they won't leave it ON! They don't LIKE THEIR BLANKET!!! UUUGGGHHH!!!"(He really made that noise.)

Trying not burst into hysterics, I reassured him that his legs were just fine, covered them back up and told "them" to stay under their blanket so Brody could sleep.

Not a bad way to start the day, with a smile that is! :)

Please feel free to leave a comment, I'd love to know who's out there! :)

Father's Day

2010-06-20T20:42:00.002-04:00

Happy Father's Day to all you Daddies out there!

In honor of Father's Day, I decided to make a list for my AMAZING Husband, listing the reasons why he is not only the best Daddy, but also the best Husband! Here goes!

1. He was puked on for the first time by our boys on his first Father's Day. He smiled at the "gift".

2. He has worn many spit up stained, booger stained, bloody-stained shirts, and worn them with pride.

3. On his wrist for the past week has been a hair tie, just in case I needed one.

4. Laying on the floor playing "Daddy playground" relaxes him.

5. Hanging in his closet are several shirts painted by ABC for him. To most people they might look like a bad abstract painting, to him they are masterpieces!

6. Every single night he tells each of his three boys how proud of them he is...and he means it.

7. He is never to busy to stop what he is doing to see something that anyone of us has done.

8. He has changed more diapers than the bottles of beer that are drank on Super Bowl Sunday, without complaining.

9. For his Father's Day Gift, he tried to make me go get a pedicure.(One might think I have some really funky toes, but that's not it, he's just an amazingly giving person.)

10. Every Sunday he plays in the Worship Band at Church. Collin told me that we are the best family in the world because we love God. Daddy is teaching them that.

I won the lottery when I married you Sweetheart, and again when we had our amazing Boys. Thank you for leading our family. I pray that our Boys grow up to be half the man you are. I love you with all of my heart and soul. Happy Father's Day!

The Roles of Mommy and Daddy

2010-05-20T09:16:00.003-04:00

A few days ago I was doing a little cleaning when Lex came running into the kitchen followed closely behind by Brody and Collin.

"MOMMY! So and So(can't remember who, but they were a mommy on a show), let the Daddy COOK!"

Me, trying not to giggle, "Are Daddies supposed to cook?"

Lex, "NO!"

Me, "Sweetheart, it's okay for Daddies to cook, you're Daddy just doesn't know how. What are Daddies supposed to do?"

All three in unison, "WORK!"

"And what do Mommies do?"

"COOK!"

"What else do Mommies do?", I asked, very curious at where this is going.

Collin, "And Mommy LOVES ME!"

Ahhhhhh....I am fine with that...Have a wonderful day everyone!

2010-05-06T12:21:00.002-04:00

Apparently I was unaware of powers that are transferred onto a little boy when they wear Super Hero underwear.

This morning I was loading the dishwasher while the Boys played in the living room. I look over to check on them and Collin is scaling the blinds wearing nothing but his Spiderman underwear. Luckily Spiderman and the blinds survived by the magic of the underwear.

To give myself a minute to finish up and give them a minute to settle down, I put on "Go, Diego, Go!" for them. For those of you who are not familiar with Diego, he is an animal rescuer that talks to animals and swings on vines through the rain forest.(Really cool job for a 5 year old!) Anyway, they are all sitting singing and playing along with the show. Just happen to glance over and Lex(Diego) is swinging from the curtain(vine) over the pass through(rain forest tree). Once again the magic saved Diego and his vine.

*sigh*

I must be the worst Mom ever, because I secretly love it. I love watching them play and being a part of their play. I love pretending that I'm Wonder Woman or the Mommy Orca in the Orca Show!

I do explain to them why it is NOT okay to climb random objects in our house. But I also make them a safe place to play their games. We went to Lowe's and built them vines to swing from(rope) and I'm in the process of building them a new playground complete with two Spiderman webs. I don't want to punish them for their creativity, but give them a safe place to explore it!

However, I am saying a lot of prayers that my superheroes and our house survive in one piece, I am positive we have many exploits to come. :)

2010-05-05T18:43:00.004-04:00

I am a slacker, I know...(How many times have I written this?) But I have been "encouraged"(not to be confused with "ordered") by my good friend Andrea Goto to put my blogging fingers back on. Thanks Andrea! :) By the way, you should really check out her blog and her "Culinary Coward" articles on PaulaDeen.com, she is as funny in person as she is at the keyboard! ;)

Any who, back to me and my wonderful family! :)

Let's see....what has been happening lately???

I KNOW!

Lex, Brody and Collin are ALL OFFICIALLY POTTY-TRAINED!!!

WOO-HOOOOOOOO!!!

It was AMAZINGLY easy. I did get some flack off and on from various passersby about the boys still being in diapers, but the joke is on them. I waited until they were old enough and boom! They pretty much did it on their own!

I think Target is a little sad about this though, they have taken a huge hit in their diaper sales. I think we've made up for it though by increasing their toy sales. We have bought a LOT of "potty toys"(rewards). It is bizarre to not run up there two or three times a week for a case of diapers...*sigh*....good times! :)

This is kind of a random post, I am being asked about 384 questions while trying to type this, so I will leave you with a conversation the boys and I had the other day. We have completely entered the superhero phase(Daddy is soooo proud)! Here goes:

A, B or C: Mommy can Wonder Woman fly?

Mommy: Yes, she sure can.

A, B or C: But HOW can she fly? She doesn't have wings or a cape...

Mommy: Hmmmm...Gooooood point...I think that's a question for Daddy as soon as he gets home...

Nightie-night all!

March For Babies

2010-04-22T21:31:00.004-04:00

It's almost here!!! Saturday is the big 6 mile walk and we are soooo excited!

If you can and would like to sponsor us for this great event, we would be sooo grateful! It's super easy!

http://www.marchforbabies.org/tripletboys

Thank you so, so much!

2010-02-04T23:00:00.003-05:00

A quick clip of Target fun. I turned it off too fast, but right after the camera stops, B says, "I sooo sorry..." with big puppy dog eyes. You'll see why, enjoy!

What?

2010-01-17T22:41:00.002-05:00

This is a quick quote that I have heard WAY too much this week.

A, B and/or C: "Mommy, MOMMY, Mom, MOMMA!"

Me: "What Baby?"

A, B and/or C: "Here, I got a booger."

Me: *sigh* "Thank you?"

If you couldn't guess, we've all been sick...everyone is much better now though, except the occasional booger hand-off.

Night-night...don't forget to wash your hands...

Bang!

2010-01-06T21:32:00.003-05:00

I have decided to de-clutter our house.

We have so much stuff and the clutter is making me CRAZY! I want to do this. I need to do this. My problem is that I see the entire mess and get overwhelmed and frantically work on a million things instead of doing one small thing at a time. So that is how I will de-clutter. I have picked one small area a day and will do that. When I am feeling crazed, I look at my un-clutter area(s) and feel the calm, lol. Hey, whatever works!

Anyways, my project today was the top of the refrigerator. It was going great! I got so much stuff thrown away and put in it's right place. Under the piles of madness I found things I hadn't seen in years. Including a confetti gun.

I saw it and thought, "The Boys would LOVE this!".

I climbed off the chair I was standing on and called excitedly to them to join me in the living room. I remembered shooting it off and it just being a tangled mess of long streamers that shoot out and fall to the ground.

No big deal, right?

I told them it would be loud, pointed it in the air above the middle of the room and...

BANG!!!

Smiling and watching their excited grins, it took me a moment to notice the hundreds of teeny tiny pieces of shiny, glittery, metallicy goodness that were slowly fluttering towards my floor. And the ten million toys that were littering it already.

I barely had time to process this when the cheers erupted. "I want to do it Mommy!", THAT "WAS AWESOME MOMMY!", "Do it AGAIN Mommy!"...and on and on.

I looked around and my first thought was, "Daddy's going to be not so happy".(He's not a huge confetti guy, especially inside..)

I giggled and agreed that it was pretty stinking cool. I told them we couldn't right now, I didn't know it would make such a big mess. They sighed their disappointment and went back to playing.

5 minutes later I called out, "Who wants to shoot the confetti?"

Lucky for me, there were three shots left.

I needed to vacuum anyways, so no harm done.

It was fun, really fun.

So if you have a confetti gun, take a few minutes and make a mess. It will be worth it...especially if you have three little boys...night night.

Daddy Art!

2010-01-05T17:54:00.003-05:00

Daddy has been so busy with freelance work, he hasn't done any Father of 3 work in awhile. I was showing these to a friend the other day and thought that I wanted to share them on here also! A lot of these are real events turned up a notch! Enjoy!

Just click on the strip and it should let you see it all!

*I never said it would make them smarter...just to clarify! :)

Grateful...

2010-01-05T10:41:00.002-05:00

Today I am feeling so grateful.

I am grateful for my relationship with Jesus Christ. I never have to walk alone and that gives me strength and peace, even in the most difficult circumstances.

I am grateful for my Husband. He is so amazing. He works so hard to take care of us and I am so grateful for that. He has been busy working on another freelance book for awhile, so every evening he goes into his studio and works until late at night after working all day. He is so dedicated to what he does. I am so proud of him.

I am so grateful for Lex, Brody and Collin. They teach me new things everyday. I love seeing life through their eyes.

Lex is so strong, determined and protective, but he still needs special Mommy time and is so loving and sweet. He is so good at organizing his brothers into play, a natural leader!

Brody is just so laid back and happy go lucky. He is my little comedian and is always doing things to crack everyone up. He is going through a super clingy Mommy phase(which secretly I don't mind!), and freaks if I'm not near. He even sits through regular church services because he doesn't want to leave me. I know this won't last very long, so I'm trying to soak it all up, lol!

And Collin...Collin is incredibly curious, fearless and smart(they are all freakishly smart). He is also the most independent. I have to be careful, he is going to be the one that jumps off the roof because his brothers dared him too, ha ha! He is incredibly loving at the same time.

I am the luckiest, Wife and Mommy alive!

I am so grateful for my family and friends. We are surrounded by so much love...it leaves me speechless.

I am grateful for so many things, I could type all day. But we have cookies to bake and crafts to do, so I'm going to take this grateful heart and make more memories for which I can be grateful.

Happy 2010!

4 Words.

2009-12-30T21:59:00.002-05:00

I love you Mommy.

Those are the most incredible words that I have ever heard.

You know the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me."

That saying is WRONG. Words can hurt, but much, much more importantly, words can heal, words can uplift, words can encourage, words can do so, so much.

I love you Mommy.

Words can leave you breathless, speechless and fill you with more love than you thought existed.

I love you Mommy.

Those are the greatest and most beautiful, most important 4 words I have ever heard.

Say something kind today, isn't life wonderful???

Night-Night.

A Belated Christmas Wish!

2009-12-29T20:04:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! We had an amazing day. At the end of the day, I asked Collin what his favorite part of the day was, and he replied, "I liked singing Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus. I love Jesus so, so much!". I was so sure that Santa was going to be his answer and I was so touched that I started crying. Out of the mouths of babes...

Thank you Lord for all that you have given us and continue to bless us with. Every smile, every hug, every kiss and every tear...these are more valuable to us than gold. We don't deserve these three gifts that you have given us, but we are humbled and grateful that you are sharing them with us. May we all serve You and do Your perfect will every moment of our lives. Thank you for sending Your Son to save mine.
In Jesus' Name
Amen

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

Soccer

2009-11-10T21:02:00.003-05:00

I'm tired and it's been a long time since I put any new pictures up, so I thought I'd bombard you with not so good quality pics of A, B and C playing soccer. They were so excited to go to their first practice. They wanted to play on their own team so badly! They did sooo good the first night! Even another parent commented on how "athletic" they all are. It was awesome! The next time, they weren't as into it, and after that Lex and Brody decided it was more fun to play on the bench and drink their water bottles. *sigh* You can't win 'em all.

It was a good experience though. I think they will be really good and enjoy playing soccer when they are a bit older and can focus for longer than 20 seconds without getting bored.

Enjoy!!!

Whoo Whoo!

2009-11-09T20:32:00.002-05:00

All Aboard!

Today the A, B, C and I had a conversation about Daddy going to Japan. He leaves for his 3rd annual Tokyo trip in a couple of weeks. I was explaining to them that he will be gone for quite a while and getting their input on what we should do while he's gone. I brought up the possibility of going to see Grandma and Grandpa McHargue and taking a train to do so.

Big mistake.

Examples of why this was a mistake...

1. I have been told at LEAST 500 times by Collin, that he wants to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house now.

2. Brody has alternated between being scared of the train and wanting to leave this second.

3. Lex has taken every train he owns out (too many to count), and proceeded to ask me, one at time, "Is this the train we're going to ride on Momma?".

4. During one of Brody's scared admissions, Lex told him, "It's okay Brody, I'll be right with you. We'll go in tunnels and on bridges and the big bridge will break and crash to the ground!". (THANK YOU Thomas the Tank Engine.)

*sigh*

It's going to be a long couple of weeks...

It will be fun though. I should probably be scared at the thought of taking them that far, on our first train ride, to one of the busiest places in the country (Washington DC), by myself. I'm not though and I'm worried that that may qualify me as slightly insane.

It will be an adventure, but every day is an adventure. You never know what you can do until you try. So Virginia, watch out, here we come!

And with that, I'm exhausted. Today's been an adventure, ha ha!

Nightie night!

3's a Charm...

2009-11-08T22:11:00.002-05:00

First of all, I should say that I have been a very, very bad blogger. I slack off for a few days and then feel guilty about it, so I put it off even longer and then BAM!, it's been 5 months without writing a word. So much has happened, vacations, Lex was hospitalized in July for 3 days, my little men celebrated their 3rd Birthday and so much more. Well, I'll do my best from now on. I like to think of this as a journal of our life. One day I hope to print and bind it for them to read when they are older. So anyways...on with the current events!

Brody.

My sweet, quiet Brody.

I thought we were past all of the normal toddler dangers now that they are three. Babies swallow things, but three year olds don't, right?

Wrong.

Two weekends ago, Brody accidentally swallowed a hard plastic cherry from the game "Hi Ho Cherry-O". We had to go get x-rays to make sure the cherry was on it's way through his digestive system. The stem is kind of sharp and really pointy so off we went. All was well.

Last weekend, he discovered the first ever snake we have had in our yard and I didn't get to see it until he was holding it. A 2-3 foot water snake. No ER, it was a close call though. He is fine and the snake ran away for it's life. Probably smart because Daddy and Mr. Allen were on a seek and destroy mission. All was well.

Tonight, I looked up to see him fiddling with his nose. At that time, he exclaimed, "Mommy my BEAD!". Not what I was expecting. So, he managed to find a small bead and put it in his nose. Luckily for us, after a bit of CAREFUL manuevering, we freed the little guy without the help of the ER.

*sigh* All is well. *sigh*

We should probably have a television show.

Nighty-night all...

I've missed you.

ACK!!!

2009-06-01T18:11:00.002-04:00

Only 6 days left until our Disney Vacation!!!

My mind is reeling with things to buy and pack. This will be our 1st real vacation since the Boys were born!

They are sooooo excited! Everyday when I ask what they want to do they say, "Hmmmm...how about go see Mickey Mouse where he lives!!!".

How cute is that?

I can't wait to see their faces!

Off to make more lists...

Alright, alright!

2009-05-17T21:09:00.003-04:00

Okay, I have been SUCH a slacker, I know.

Once I got a little behind, I felt bad and kept putting it off and off.

I am back now. I'm just gonna go with it!

We are such busy little Boys now! Today we went to a Birthday party at Bouncing Angels and ended up meeting our friend Jack and we all stayed for 6 hours.

Yes, 6 Hours of bouncing, running, sliding, laughing and whatever merriment 4 almost three year olds can come up with.

At 4 we drew the line and we all went out to dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse. We made it home around 6 and my little men were bathed, and asleep at 7:30.

It was a fabulous day!

They played so well and had so much fun!

I am going to go pass out now...I need to rest up to see what tomorrow shall bring...

Nighty-night!

WE DID IT!!!

2009-04-27T21:02:00.004-04:00

We walked all 6 miles in the March For Babies Saturday!!! Okay, well if you were 2 1/2 you were pushed while you snacked and ate candy, while Mommy and Daddy pushed all 100 pounds of brothers 6 miles around our city.

But it was AWESOME!!!

I love the March of Dimes, I love the March For Babies and I love everyone who has supported us in this event and since the birth our our beautiful preemies!

If you didn't catch it, I was on a local morning talk show last Wednesday, click here!

I am still convinced that I kind of looked like an alien on TV, but it was for a wonderful cause and it was so much fun! Jessica is such a sweetheart and made me feel so comfortable!

Well it is off to bed, I'm beat!

Nighty-night!

Soooo Nervous!

2009-04-21T20:08:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow I will be on Channel 4's Morning News show between 6:30am and 7am. I am so stinking nervous...wish me luck!

Going up?

2009-04-16T20:39:00.002-04:00

So, on Tuesday I had a Dr's appointment at 8:45 am. Dove was in class so the Boys and I made the trip solo(okay, technically it was quado, but you get the point).

They were in their wagon and we had to take the elevator up one floor. In one floor we had quite the conversation.

Instantly the Boys noticed our reflection in the polished brass ceiling. They shouted, "Look Mommy, it's Brothers! It's Lex, and Brody and Collin and Mommy!". I said something back and then one of them said and the others starting repeating, "Look, I see TRIPLETS!".

Okay, I never refer to them as triplets, I know tons of people do, but I had no clue they realized they were. I've talked to them about it before, but they never seemed to care.

So in shock, I said, "You're right, there are triplets, are you a triplet?"

Lex replied in his most stern, talk-backing voice, "NO Mommy, YOU A TRIPLET!!!"

I almost died laughing! I couldn't help myself, I know I should have told him not to speak to Mommy, that way, but that was the most random conversation I still giggle thinking about it. It may have been a you had to be there moment, but I wish I could let y'all hear the way it played out. It was too funny!

This was just another second of our life, these Boys keep me on my toes and I thank God for it every chance I get!

Darn You Tricycle Shirt!!!

2009-04-15T17:42:00.004-04:00

For the first time possibly ever we had a clothing fight.

As usual I grabbed three shirts in different colors. A red fire truck one, a blue tricycle one and an orange tee. I also grabbed pants, socks, shoes and diapers.

The Boys told me they wanted to go to the "train store" aka Toys'R'Us. They saw the shirts and Lex grabbed the fire truck shirt. Okay, Collin normally wears red, but no big deal, we're chill, right?

I get him dressed and grab Brody and ask him if he wants to wear his tricycle shirt. To which Lex and Collin start squealing, I want a tricycle shirt and making up some song about how much they love tricycle shirts.

Okay, no big deal, we're chill, remember?

I go to grab the other two tricycle shirts(yes, I do have three that are exactly the same and no I do not usually put them all on them at the same time. Honestly Brody is usually the only one who wears them and that way I don't do laundry as much, HA!) and guess what?

I can only find one more.

Sooooo....I got to spend 15 minutes tearing my house apart for the 3rd tricycle shirt that was hanging in the closet. Why would I bother looking there???

So today I say Darn you tricycle shirt!

I'm proud of you Mommy.

2009-04-14T20:11:00.002-04:00

What has happened to naptime?

The last couple of weeks have been rough going in.

My kids are sleepers. They always have been, but lately they are fighting it.

Once they fall asleep it's no problem, these Boys will nap from 3-4 hours. It's just getting there.

Today they were all running amuck in their room so I decided I would gate them in and paint the trim in the hallway.(I was in the middle of painting when I got pregnant and somehow it's never been finished...)

They were so excited watching, so I let them for a few minutes and then I told them to get in bed and not get up until they woke up. I tucked them all in again and hugged and kissed them. While going through this routine with Lex, he put his little arms on mine and looked up with bright, wide innocent eyes and said, "I'm so proud of you Mommy."!

*tear*

For what, I don't know. Painting the hallway? Tucking him in? Not screaming at all of them that I'm exhausted too and to close their eyes now? Finding the definition of love in those bright green eyes?

You know what?

I don't care what it was for.

My son is proud of me and I am so incredibly proud to be his Mommy.

Life is good.

Nighty-night.

Sooooo....

2009-04-14T15:22:00.003-04:00

Who all is out there? I'd love to hear from you if you read my blog!

How about a little meet and greet?

Please leave a comment introducing yourself and how you came across this blog!

Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself on here, lol!

Our awesome Daddy!

2009-04-13T17:16:00.003-04:00

Dove is the most amazingly artistic man. He works really hard at what he does and in turn is an amazing comic artist, a draw-dropping guitarist, a dedicated Professor and the most amazing Husband and Father a girl could dream of...

He drew at all of my ultrasounds and while the Boys were in the hospital and then did a comic strip about them for the first year they were born. We were looking back and I thought I'd share some...even if you've seen them before!

These are just a few, I'll add more. There are quite a few and it is going to be an amazing keepsake for our Boys.

Thank you Husband! You ROCK!!!

Blah!

2009-03-18T21:59:00.002-04:00

In our house we have throw up bowls. We keep at least one in the Boys room under one of the beds. It has come in really handy. We put the others in there if needed, but there is always at least one available.

Tonight I asked them if they wanted to go do something to which Lex responded, "No, I want to throw up!"

I was walking out of their room when I heard his response so I turned back to see him finish up his reply by grabbing the throw up bowl, setting it on Collin's bed and pretending to throw up for a few minutes.

Seeing how much fun his brother was having, Brody joined in.

Realizing they were leaving someone out, they asked Collin, "You want to throw up?".

These Boys may have a serious shot at acting, they are very convincing.

By this point Dove had come in and we just stood in the doorway and laughed ourselves silly.

Nighty-night all.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T22:29:00.002-04:00

Savannah is not a big city. Savannah loves holidays. Savannah really loves St. Patrick's Day.

I'm not kidding. It is a Big Deal here with a capital B. But what does that really mean?

St. Patrick's Day is Savannah's Mardi Gras. Complete with beads. Hotels book up months and months in advance. February kicks off the festivities and they last through March 17th. Our beautiful fountains even spout green water weeks ahead of time. I think people start drinking about a month ahead of time. We have the second largest parade in the country and today it ran for almost 4 hours. That's a lot of floats.

Every year Dove and I say, let's just stay home this year and avoid the crazyness. And every year we go, and every year we have a blast!

The Boys loved it this year! They had their green and beads on and got little play trumpets and danced and played with the bands and cheered for the parade! At one point tons of Army soldiers were marching by and a soldier came over and gave each of them a dog tag. They were so cute and pround of their gifts, they wouldn't let go of them for a long time!

We stayed for about 3 1/2 hours, then went to McDonald's for Daddy's favorite drink, a Shamrock Shake. All of the Boys got one.

After that we came home and napped, well 5/6th's of us did, Daddy worked in his studio.

It was a great time and a great day.

I love my life!

Nighty-night.

Bedtime Routine and the Giggles it brings...

2009-03-16T21:17:00.003-04:00

Every night we start off by saying the Lord's Prayer. After that I tell them a silly ryhme I made up for them and tell them how much I love them. I thought I would share that here in case 20 years from now I can't remember this favorite part of my day...

Now let's close our eyes and have sweet dreams
of cotton candy clouds and silver moony beams.

Let's dream of marshmallow stars and super fast cars,
chocolate kisses and butterscotch wishes.

Close your eyes and have sweet dreams and tomorrow we will have so much fun.
I love you so, so much my little men.

Then everyone gets a second tuck in or a cup back and they get more kisses, they love it when I tell them that I love them to the moon annnnnnnd backbackback(whiling getting their tummies or necks).

It may seem silly, but it's mine and every night is another reminder of how incredibly blessed I am. I love hearing their squeals of laughter and feeling their little arms wrapped around me as they tell me "Hold you Mommy".

Their Daddy, their brother Indy and them are my world and what a world to live in...I couldn't dream of a better place.

Nighty-night

Wisks and Flops

2009-03-07T20:07:00.002-05:00

We live in a warm place. Warm enough that probably 75% of my shoes are flip flops, I would say more, but I love shoes and still can't get rid of the 30 pairs that are too tall for Mommies to chase toddlers in.

Anyway, you can probably wear them 12 months out of the year here and people do. Sometimes when we get that flukey really, really cold day, you see people with flip flops and heavy jackets on. I may have been that person once and Dove may have been that person twice.

Now Lex, Brody and Collin are the proud owners of their first "flops".

At least 2/3 are proud. Brody likes to look at his, but wear his tennis shoes. The other two are however, are VERY proud owners of flops. So proud that when they wear them they shuffle very slowly about and stop every other person who passes by to announce that they have flops and kick their legs up high enough for them to see and tell them how cool they are. Okay, Collin does that way more than Lex, but Lex shuffles and shows a few people.

It took us about 30 minutes to walk from Target at the mall to the food court, which is normally a very, very quick jaunt.

It was hilarious and so much fun! I love seeing the excitement on their faces and the seriousness and the sheer pride. They are growing so fast. They love to look at my feet and then theirs and then my feet and then theirs, floppified of course.

At the end of this evening, I told them they could each pick out a toy from the dollar bins at Target.

Did they pick the farm animals?

The Spiderman toys?

No.

They each picked out a wisk.

That's right, a wisk. They wanted to stir and make something.

It's fine with me, I love to bake and cook. I just thought it was funny that amidst all of the toys and Easter goodies, they pick out a wisk.

Oh, and they only had one blue one, so we went home with one blue one and two pink ones.

But we also went home with smiles and memories to look back on and giggle.

Perfect.

As the world sleeps...

2009-03-04T09:14:00.002-05:00

we are playing with balloons.

My little men decided to wake up somewhere around 5am or before.

Fun, fun.

I informed them that it was still night time and they were to get back in bed. That worked for about thirty minutes. They did not go back to sleep but played in their beds while I tried to sleep on the floor.

They had each gotten a balloon yesterday and were so excited to play with them this morning they couldn't stand it. They were heart broken when they saw that only one was still floating and a small riot ensued.

We are taking a nap at 11 today.

We have all been sick with bronchitis and lots of boogers and other good stuff. We are finally feeling somewhat better. I cracked a rib from coughing so hard and now I have pinched a nerve on the opposite side, I guess from overusing that side? I felt like I had a fever all night, and with my side it made for an uncomfortable night. It didn't help to wake up before the sun and try to sleep on the floor.

Wish us luck, ha ha!

Happy Half Birthday Little Men!

2009-02-14T19:54:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

This day is extra special in our house because our three little Boys turn 2 1/2 today. I still can not believe that I am so incredibly lucky to be the Mommy to these special Little Men. I am even luckier to be married to such a wonderful Man. He is so loving and amazes me every day(usually in a good way!)! I hope all of my Men know how much I love them. I could not survive without any one of you, from the big one to the tiny, furry one. If you could see what my heart looked like, it would be each of you. God has given me so much, I am one lucky woman.

We had a really nice day today.

Pop-A-Lock!!!

2009-02-13T21:29:00.002-05:00

First of all, thank you so much Carey(aka Pop-A-Lock hero)!!! You totally saved the day yesterday! For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, read yesterday's post.

I need to take a minute to let everyone know how wonderful this company is! My first reaction after locking my children in the car was to call 911. My Mommy friend and the owner of Bouncing Angels told me we needed Pop-A-Lock instead. They called them and told them what was going on and gave me the phone for the car details.

The woman I spoke with was so sweet and efficient. She even stayed on the phone with me and explained the process while we waited for an ETA. Shortly after, Carey came and saved the day in under 3 minutes. It was ridiculously quick. I think it actually took longer for me to watch the door lock than it did for him to open it! No one made fun of me or pointed out that locking them in the car is not the best idea in the book. They were very understanding and reassuring.

And guess what else????

It was FREE.

That's right FREE.

They drop everything(so if you had to wait here yesterday afternoon, sorry, my bad) and come rescue your children and they do it with a smile asking for nothing in return.

That is this Mommy's idea of a wonderful business! It is so nice to see a company do something because it is a good and right thing to do, rather than just for financial gain. I will tell everyone I know what a wonderful company this is and I hope they are your first choice if you find yourself on the wrong side of your keys.

Thank you so much Carey and the Pop-A-Lock family, you ROCK!!!

And the Mommy of the Year is...

2009-02-12T14:08:00.004-05:00

You guessed it!

Little ole' ME!!!

How I came to accept this fabulous title is the story you are about to read...

(Can you feel the excitement in the air???)

Here it was, just a typical Thursday. We spent the morning bouncing our heads off at our favorite jumping ground, Bouncing Angels. After a pizza lunch and a few more slides we decided to call it a day.

With the promise of M&M's leading them, my three little angels skipped to the car. I safely secured them in their seats, gave them their reward(I know, I know. Bad Mommy, M&M's AND pizza? Well, they had pretzels and fruit too, so we're good.) and their water cups, started the car and turned on the a/c. I then grabbed my phone, why, I don't know and hopped out of the car pulling the door to behind me.

This is where the weird time shift starts.

As I pulled the door closed, time froze and I saw my door was locked. How could that be??? I always click it open TWICE to make sure it's unlocked. I then saw that the passenger door was locked as well. As I grabbed the van's side door I had just shut I heard the dreaded, CLICK!

AAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOCKED MY THREE KIDS IN THE CAR WITH IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHO does that???

(hand raised) ummm, I guess that would be me...

I look in the window at them and they are all just smiles happily eating their treat.

I tried every door to no avail. I burst into Bouncing Angels to announce to the owner and my friend my predicament they instantly called Pop-A-Lock and got them on their way. The owner came out and we took turns playing peek-a-boo through the window.

I tried my best to explain the situation to them, basically shouting at the top of my lungs so they could hear me. I think I also informed half of Savannah of my actions and got a few well-deserved "crazy lady in the parking lot" stares as well. I re-assured them that all was well and we would be on our way soon. After a few "ready to GO's" from them, they fell asleep.

Praise the Lord! No tears, no fights, just M&M's and Zzzzzzzzz.

Shortly after, my hero, the Pop-A-Lock man showed up and reunited me with my sleeping brood. He commented that I was very calm and that most people are freaking out. I commented back that the a/c was on and they were asleep, so I didn't need to really worry at that moment.

The second he left I had to hold back the bile rising in my throat. It hit me.

They are okay and that's all that matters, but man I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THAT!

*sigh* *deep breath*

All's well that ends well.

I may be getting a necklace to sport an extra key or two though. I need some new bling. Maybe that could be my medal...

Help save Babies!!!

2009-02-10T20:53:00.007-05:00

You may have noticed my March of Dimes Fundraiser Bar on the side. Dove, the Boys and I will be walking in the March For Babies here in Savannah at the end of April. We started walking the year we had the Boys and this will be our 3rd event!!!

We are and were so incredibly blessed that Lex, Brody and Collin are so healthy! They were born at 32 weeks gestation, 8 weeks early. Lex spent 18 days in the hospital and Brody and Collin spent 19. They are such fighters! They all weighed less than 4lbs when they came home! Can you believe that??? It's so hard to imagine my 30 lb Boys that small! But they were. Normally a preemie is delayed physically and developmentally. Once again, our Boys have amazed everyone and are advanced for their age. We are so, so grateful for them and their strength and health.

Not all preemies are so lucky. So many babies are born too soon. We expected it with our Boys, but many people don't. The March of Dimes has provided so much to give these babies a chance. 20 years ago our Boys may not have had much of a shot. Today they and other babies due thanks to the March of Dimes. They fund research that has been crucial in giving babies born early a fighting chance. They provide so many resources for parents thrust into a terrifying world. Imagine your 3lb baby and much smaller hooked up to tubes, respirators and machines.

These are babies that can fit their entire wrist through your wedding band. These babies deserve a chance. The March of Dimes is dedicated, dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

Please help us help them.

Sponsor us.

Lex, Brody, Collin, Dove and I thank you from the absolute bottom of our hearts.

Help!!!

2009-02-09T21:38:00.001-05:00

I need a cool blog layout! If someone out there wants to help me, I'd be sooooo grateful!

Happy Monday!

2009-02-09T07:34:00.002-05:00

It's 7:30 Monday morning and I have already broken up 2 fights, cleaned up a C-Collin's mess of spit out medicine and yogurt and picked up two boxes of cereal! And they say Monday's drag!

It's going to be a beautiful day here so we are going to spend it outside!

We never have a boring day around here, and I LOVE it!!!

Have a great Monday everyone!!!

A little circus video!

2009-02-05T14:54:00.004-05:00

I know, I know. I have really been stinking, but hey, we have been getting up at 6(even earlier some days, lucky me!) every day for a bit now, so I have been passing out shortly after they do. My me time is dwindling fast!

We had SOOOOOO much fun at the circus! Here are a few pics and a video of us waiting for the main event to start! Enjoy!
P.S. They really did have fun, I just can't seem to get too many smiles on camera, I think I may annoy them with the camera, ha ha!

2009-01-29T13:20:00.001-05:00

A quick note to let y'all know we are still alive and well...I know I've been slacking lately. It's been nuts around here. We are going to the circus tonight so I will fill y'all in soon. Right now I have to eat, I'm starving and they are sleeping for the moment, so it's time to stuff my face.

Zzzzzzz...zzzzz...

2009-01-07T19:19:00.002-05:00

All I can think about right now is how snuggly my bed is. We started the day out around 6:45 this morning. We ran Dove to work around 7, came home got dressed and ate super fast. I ran them to "school", came home and started moving things and picking up 90% of the toys in our house to have the carpets cleaned. While that was going on I cleaned and unloaded/re-loaded the dishwasher. Took a quick shower, picked them up, ran to Wal-Mart, went to see and pick up Daddy, came home, played, cooked dinner, played some more, baths and now we are snacking and about to head to bed.

Do you see anything missing from the day's activities???

Hmmm...oh wait, that's right, there's no nap listed. Or as I like to call it, my "lunch break".

They've been going to bed around 10pm so I thought if they didn't nap they would go to bed early and get back on the right schedule. I hope.

It was fine, they are slightly(okay, kind of an understatement) grouchy and I am aching. But we still had a great day!

There was the sweetest moment at dinner when Lex turned to me and exclaimed "Delicious!!!" in response to the bite he had just taken. That was one of the proudest moments of my life. I thought I was about to cry and I'm still smiling hearing that little voice echo in my mind. Being a Mother is the most incredible thing I've ever done or will ever do. Thank you God for giving me this!

Well, Brody is fluttering his eyelids, slumping over, catching himself and redoing the process over again so we are off to dreamland.

Sweet dreams world.

Nighty-night.

P.S. Please feel free to follow this blog and/or comment, I'd love to hear from you!!!

Quotes and Fun Facts!

2009-01-05T20:01:00.002-05:00

Tonight while in the bath, Lex said the cutest thing and I told myself I would write it down. Our days are filled with things that I want to remember. I get so caught up with what we are doing that even though I mark it in my head when I get a sec to jot or type it, I go blank. So tonight if not for your enjoyment, but for my own in the future I am jotting it down.

Here goes!
(Okay, now that I've built it up, it may not be so great to you, but boo to you, I'm sure you tell these stories about your kids too!)

Lately they have been really into pretending with their toys. Animals, trains, anything they grab ends up having a full conversation, usually concluding with hugs and kisses.(I just realized they never make them fight, 1 point for Mom and Dad!) Each of them have a Thomas, Percy and Salty bath squirter for the tub. They usually make them talk to each other and tonight was no different. Lex was holding Thomas and had just dunked him in the bubbles, brought him up and exclaimed "OH NO cried Thomas!" He actually said "cried Thomas". It gets more funny every time I think about it! He was so serious and it was as if he were narrating a Thomas show or reading a book! Maybe we'll have a little author on our hands!!!

A cute fun fact for you too! They all LOVE to sing. They know every word to more songs than I can count. Brody could hold a microphone and sing to you all day and he will. He will also let you know when it is okay to cheer and appalause for him. When he is ready for the song to end he smiles really big and starts chanting sszz sszz sszz sszz... And we know we are good to go, no clue how he came up with that, but it actually comes in handy sometimes!

Not to leave Collin out, here's one about him. His newest thing is not only telling you what he wants, but what he will do with it. Examples: He asked for his milk and when I told him okay, he'll say, "I drink it with mouth!" He also today said "That car loud" to which I said, "Yes it is." He replied "I hear it with my ear!" He has also been known to let me know that he watches a show with his eyes and so on! I think that he is very smart to realize that all of these body parts actually have a purpose and aren't just random things!

So there, I few little facts about my Boys.

Now for my Big Boy. Today Daddy went back to work. YUCKY! We are all really sad that Winter Break is over, but we are so grateful that we do get to spend so much time with him. God blesses so much! I don't talk about Dove enough, and I don't tell him enough, but he is an amazing Father and a more amazing Husband. Anyone who can put up with me for as long as he has, deserves a medal! We all love you so much Daddy!

Nighty-night all!

A Pee Pee in the Potty A Pee Pee in the Potty!

2009-01-03T19:39:00.003-05:00

You have to imagine the title with music, that's our potty song! We've sung it a few times in the past couple of days. While Dove was in Japan, Lex and Brody went poopy in the potty but I wasn't quite ready to start potty training with the all of the wackiness going on that the holidays bring. I did give them a piece of candy each and told them every time they go in the potty they can have a piece of candy.

Yesterday for some reason I decided, let's get a little more excited about it, and they are doing great! Collin has been doing super well and has gone 3 times in the last 36 hours on the potty! We definitely aren't hardcore training, just making it fun and more available, but they seem really interested so we may start the serious training in the next couple of weeks. Of course if I were two and someone told me I could have candy every time I needed to relieve myself, I would probably think that they heavens had opened up and swallowed me whole. It may not be the best approach, but hey, I have three boys, the exact same age(ok, give a minute or two), so if a tootsie roll or a sweettart gets us out of diapers, so be it. They only get a piece(and a small one) if they actually go.

Of course, this could be a total disaster, but you never know until you try. I am not looking forward to spending 90 percent of every trip out of the house in a yucky public restroom, but if my little men are telling me they want to take another step forward, I will never hold them back. I certainly don't want them to grow up, but I also don't ever want to keep them down either.

Isn't parenting fun???

Oh, we had a lottery winning moment today also, we scored 3 pairs of shoes, in the same size on SALE!!! DING DING DING!!! It was AWESOME!

Nighty-night!

The Good Ole South...

2009-01-03T11:31:00.004-05:00

You know you're Southern when someone tells you it's easier to clean your greens by throwing them in the washing machine on the rinse cycle and you feel like you've won the lottery with this tidbit and can't wait to try it.

Yes, this was a conversation I had this morning and yes we are having greens for dinner.

Happy Eating!

Happy NEW Year!!!

2009-01-02T15:57:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe New Year's!

Guess what we did?

We played a game, an old family favorite, it's called, pass the bucket. The idea is to pass a bucket around and see if everyone's throw up actually makes it in. Yipeeee. :(

Brody and I passed out around 7 and everyone else followed at 8. We have been pretty wiped out and pathetic from this, our latest stomach virus attack. Luckily we are all feeling much better.
Still a little tired and achy, but better.

Tonight we are going to go down to the River to watch the fireworks for First Friday since we missed all of the excitement on New Years night. We still have a bottle of champagne chilling in the fridge and I'm hoping our tummies feel okay to crack it open after the boys go to bed.

My wish for the New Year is that we stop bringing home every germ in Georgia. I'm considering bubble suits as possible Birthday gifts.

We wish you all love and happiness not just for 2009, but every day of your life! God bless you!

Nighty-night!

Why?

2008-12-30T17:55:00.002-05:00

Do people feel the need to be so judgemental??? We went to Target today and this woman in line kept staring disapprovingly at us and pointing her finger and whispering to other people in line. We were waiting in line to exchange something and the Boys really wanted to see the trains. They were running around being a little loud, but come on, they are 2! They are very well behaved and it seems like the handful of times they have acted up or been a little too excited, there is someone there waiting to point a finger. I'm tired and not feeling well, so this may contribute to how I feel about this, but I really just don't appreciate someone making snap judgements about my children or about our parenting skills. I feel much better now getting this out. And yes, they were a little excited and grouchy, they have been sick and only took an hour nap today. All I have to say is God bless her.

A little late but...

2008-12-28T20:50:00.002-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Whew, I've really been slacking blog-wise lately and that was weighing on me!

We had a great Christmas! We started the day off with Santa gifts and opened all of our gifts. I made fresh blueberry cakes(muffins) to which we sang "Happy Birthday Jesus" and blew out pretend candles(2008 of them would not fit on the cakes, I considered trying it until I realized we were birthday candle-less). We then played with all of our plunder while watching the parade and then took naps. Upon waking we headed to the beach and played there for a bit. We came home and had a simple dinner, played some more and headed to bed. We had our Christmas dinner on Friday and it was delicious! A very laid back, cozy weekend for a laid back, cozy family! I hope everyone else had a wonderful Holiday!

Fast forward to tonight: A cute "Collin-ism" for you. After getting out of our evening bath, we always ask what color towel they want(It's always the same color.). Tonight Collin replied, "I saaaaid YELLOW!" In this gruff little man voice. Of course I died laughing and had him repeat it for Dove about 50 times. Probably not the best thing to teach him, but I'm guessing he learned it from Mommy saying, I said No. This has nothing to do with the above paragraph, but it was too funny not to share.

I will get some Christmas pics up soon. I hope everyone is happy, and well. Have a wonderful last few days of 2008!

Nighty-Night!

What a slacker!

2008-12-27T20:56:00.002-05:00

It's been a crazy month! The Boys all got super sick along with me and we all finally started feeling better about a day or two before Dove came home from Japan. We basically staying home in our pjs for a week only going out to go to the Dr., the ER and to get medicine. We had fevers up to 105.4, breathing treatments, meds, a little throw up and lots of laying around. But we made it!

We have been going non-stop since Daddy came home. We have one more week with him before he goes back to work so we are going to take advantage of it. We have been to the beach 3 times in the past week or so since we have had such wonderfully warm weather! It is so hard for us to believe that most of the country is under snow while we play around in shorts and t-shirts. I'm sure it will get cold(our version of cold anyway) before too long and we'll get a little use of our jackets. It won't last long though and I can't wait for spring. It's so beautiful here, when everything is blooming, I absolutely love it! I feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful place!

More later, I hear, MOMMY? MOMMY!...

Nighty-night.

Really, what else?

2008-12-02T21:20:00.002-05:00

Ugh, of course you would know that I would start getting sick the day Dove left! I started coughing and it was getting worse, so Monday afternoon I made an appt because I can so not be sick right now! The Boys and I went at 9:15 this morning and (they were the hit of the office and very well behaved) were very promptly put in a room and saw the Dr. As soon as she listened to my chest she got concerned and had me keep breathing in and out. I told her I was dizzy and it had been hard to breathe the night before. She said you have bronchitis and you are getting a breathing treatment right now. She left and got that and came back and said you are also getting a steriod shot and going on about 5 pills! So after the treatment and the shot I am also on an inhaler, a cough medicine, a decongestant/antihistimine and two antibiotics. Fun, fun! At least I went when I did, I was getting worse fast and it would not have been pretty if I had waited longer.

With all of that, I am going to bed. I am worn out and definitely need to rest every chance I can get. There aren't too many, but that's ok!

We still miss Daddy and are counting the days until he gets home!
Nighty-night!

Daddy far away!

2008-11-29T22:05:00.002-05:00

Yes he is sweethearts. Today Daddy left for Tokyo before the Boys woke up. We all miss him like crazy and he hasn't been gone for 24 hours yet. I just checked his flight plan and he is somewhere over Russia right now. He should be landing at around 1:30 our time, 3:30 Sunday afternoon Tokyo time. Yucky! We want him home now!

I explained to the Boys that we have to go to sleep 14 night times before he comes home. That seems like so long for a 30 year old, I think it must seem like forever to a two year old. I am going to make a chart for them to cross off the days until he comes home to help reassure them that he will be back.(And reassure myself.)

I don't think they are quite getting it though. They kept asking for him today or looking for him. Which would bring me to explain again and another round of "Daddy far AWAY"! I told them we would go to church tomorrow and they could go to their "big class"(they moved up from the nursery) and Lex's eyes lit up and he asked, "DADDY???". One of their favorite parts is to go say hi to Daddy while he's playing his guitar and listen to him sing. It's Mommy's favorite part too.

Please pray that he stays safe and returns safely home to us. I miss him so much. I am so incredibly blessed to be married to such a wonderful man and father. And to have a great marriage. I love you so much sweetheart!

I am going to try to sleep now...

Nighty-night.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T21:43:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with their loved ones. We sure did!

It was a beautiful day in Savannah today. I baked two pies this morning and filled the house with yummy smells. As the temperature climbed towards 70, we decided to take a walk down to the ponds in our neighborhood. It was absolutely gorgeous! We came home and played outside, drew with sidewalk chalk and the Boys jumped in their bounce house. We ate lunch and I got to work on our dinner feast. We shared it with friends and the Boys ate maybe a bite of dinner and a bunch of fresh whipped cream. Oh well, there's always next year!

I've been thinking a lot about what I am thankful for and I'll share it with y'all. Here goes.

I am so thankful for my amazing Husband. It has been over 13 years since I met you and you can still make my heart skip a beat just by walking in the room. I knew the moment I met you that I was supposed to spend my life with you and I thank God daily for the love that He's given me in you.

I am so thankful for my Boys. No matter how frustrated I get or how loud you scream, I melt when I hear your little voices say Mommy. I love the innocence in your eyes and the excitement that the simplest of things can give you. I pray that you keep that in your hearts your entire life and I am so grateful that God trusted me with you. I love you all so, so much, there aren't words to describe it.

I am so thankful for my relationship with my Glorious Creator. Thank you for Your Love. I hope that I can be the woman that You created me to be. Thank you Lord for my life.

I am so thankful for our families. I so wish that we could be with all of you more, but know that you are in our hearts and thoughts always.

I am so thankful for our friends. Thank you for being our extended family.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday and that there are many, many more in your future. God bless you all!

Nighty-night!

It's already Tuesday.

2008-11-25T22:08:00.002-05:00

How did that happen???

I had something come up yesterday and ended up having to reschedule the pelvic u/s, it is now Dec 15. I'm waiting until Dove gets home. I am a little nervous though, my mammogram and u/s is tomorrow morning. I wish it were over with already!

You know how when you don't want something to happen, time flies by, and when you are excited about something, it drags by? That is what is happening this week. I am dreading Saturday morning when my Husband leaves! It sounds so silly, but I felt so incredibly lost and lonely when he was gone last year. It's like I could feel the distance between us. I am really not looking forward to explaining to the Boys where he is. I keep telling them, but I don't think it's really going to sink in until he's been gone all day. They love their Daddy so much, they are going to miss him like crazy and I know he will miss them too.

We ended up going to the Roundhouse museum this morning. They are still snotty, but it's clear and they've been on antibiotics for a few days, so we decided to get out for a bit. They love going there so much. It's so exciting seeing their absolute joy at all of the choo choo trains. I think we are going to get a yearly membership so we can go often. It is definitely worth it! I will share a pic I took of my wonderful men!!!

I hope everyone is well!
Nighty-night!

A minute or so of our life...

2008-11-23T20:41:00.006-05:00

We had to make another trip to the Dr today. It was a good thing we went though, Lex has the green ooze now and Collin has an ear infection. Both have green ooze out of the nose as well. Hopefully now all three of them will be feeling much better in a few days.

We did go up to Target at the mall to get their prescriptions filled and while we were waiting we rode the Christmas Train for the first time this year. They LOVED it! They couldn't stop talking about it. I have a feeling we will be taking many trips on that this year!

We came home, ate dinner and hung out in their room for a bit before bath. Collin put his Thomas underwear on over his pants and diaper so I broke out the camera. I took a few videos, so I'll share this one with y'all. It's a little dark, but I got some of them singing. They sing all day! They know so many songs I can't even keep track anymore. Who knows we may have the next Hanson, ha ha!

I totally spaced on adding this yesterday, but Lex woke up from his nap and went pee pee on the big potty!!! We haven't really been working on potty training, so this was awesome! We should probably start soon, but I wanted to wait until after Christmas. Maybe we'll do one at a time. Who knows, lol. I'm in no rush. I'd be happy if they stayed babies forever, so when they're ready, I'm ready!

Enjoy a minute and a half of our life!
Nighty-night!

Duct Tape

2008-11-22T20:15:00.003-05:00

May be what's necessary to keep three two year olds in bed long enough to fall asleep at night. I asked the Boys' Dr. yesterday how to keep them in bed at night and that was his answer. HA! I had actually put that on facebook as a thought. I told him that and we had a good laugh and he said to make sure and rip it off quickly like a band-aid. It is really nice to have someone who has had three two year old boys to joke with bounce ideas off of.(*DISCLAIMER*Don't worry, we were both joking, I would never actually tie them to their beds, no matter how great it sounds.)

Why were we there you may be asking yourself?

Just a little bright green ooze coming out of Brody's eye. His nose was pouring clear and he sounded horrible in his chest. We had done breathing treatments earlier in the week. He is my little wheezer and last weekend I thought they were sick, but then changed it to thinking it was just the record cold temps we have had. Unfortunately the first one was the winner. He is now on an antibiotic so he should be feeling much better soon. He did say that his nose looked like RSV though.

If you have ever had a preemie or known someone who has, you will know how utterly terrifying those 3 letters can be. Thankfully he is much older and healthier so it's not a big deal, but I don't think I will ever be able to hear that again without cringing. I am marked for life.

Well, three little boys who are supposed to be in bed are very busy singing the alphabet and playing. That would be my cue to leave.

Nighty-night all.

What a day!

2008-11-20T21:45:00.002-05:00

Today was a long day. I woke up at 6am to very awake ready to play Boys. I groggily played with them for about 10 minutes until I realized that the sun wasn't even out yet. I then informed them that the sun was still asleep and they should be too. I told them it was still night-night time and that they needed to get back in bed until the sun woke up. Luckily it worked and we got about 20 more minutes of sleep!

After breakfast we headed to my Dr's office for a check up. It was wonderful seeing everyone! The Boys have gotten so big since we were there last and they enjoyed all of the attention! They were very well behaved.

Now this is probably nothing, so don't worry, but I have a couple of cysts in my bosom, so I will be having another mammogram and ultrasound next Wed. I found a lump that turned out to be fine last February, but now I have some newbies. I am also having ovarian pain so I have a pelvic ultrasound on Monday. Maybe I will be radioactive for Thanksgiving?

I'm sure it will turn out fine, but you can't help but think about it. I am being very positive, but I will admit that I'm also a little scared. I think the scariest part is that Dove will be leaving for Japan on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so I will most likely get the results alone. But hey, this little body carried 3 healthy boys at once, it can do anything!

HEY! Maybe that's what did it! I was so full of testosterone carrying 3 boys that's it turned my girly parts against me. MEN!!! Well, at least they were worth it! *wink*

If you have an extra prayer, I would definitely appreciate it.

With that I will say nighty-night, I could really use some beauty rest!

Pictures!

2008-11-17T21:00:00.003-05:00

I've been playing around with the photo editing software on my computer and just wanted to share a couple of pictures. These are a couple of pictures that I've taken in the last couple of days that I really liked. Thanks for looking!
(From top to bottom, they are ABC)

A great day!

2008-11-15T21:41:00.002-05:00

Today was hectic. We had a million things to do and my head felt like I had been in a boxing match. We were on our way downtown by 8:30 and after the Book Festival, Dove's rehearsal, a Birthday Party and errands we finally got home a little after 2:30. The Boys and I took about an hour nap and then we headed to Target and the grocery store and ate dinner around 6:45.

But you know what?

It was a wonderful day!

As I sat at the table laughing with my family, I felt so incredibly lucky and so content. God has given me so much. And I am so incredibly grateful.

I love my family. I love laughing with them, singing with them, crying with them. Every minute with them is the most precious gift I have ever received.

I may never be anything more than what I am right now, and that's perfectly okay with me. Because I have it all right now. My life may not be recorded in history, and that's okay. Because it is recorded in my family's hearts.

Today was just your average hectic day but it was ours and that makes it priceless.

Nighty-night!

Growing up...

2008-11-14T20:57:00.002-05:00

Every day I watch my little men grow up so much. How can my little itty bitty babies be so big??? Today Brody was eating something and started crying. I asked him what was wrong and he told me "Mouth". He actually told me what was wrong!!! He must have bit his lip or tongue, but that is such a breakthrough. Instead of playing, Mommy figure it out, he actually told me! If that wasn't enough for one day, tonight I laid out their pj pants and went in the closet to get the tops. When I came out Collin had both legs in his pants and was pulling them up while sitting down! I showed him how to stand up and then pull and then he put his shirt on with a little help from me! I'm so proud of them!!! And also a little sad. I wish I could freeze them and keep them this age forever!

With all of that said, I also had a first today. My first root canal, yay me! It was a blast, let me tell you. Everyone was really nice and it wasn't that bad, until the novacaine started wearing off. It's sore and I'm tired. With that I'm going to bed!

Hug your loved ones and tell them how much they mean to you. Every minute is a gift and today is not forever.

Nighty-night!

AHHHHHHH!!!

2008-11-13T22:35:00.002-05:00

I have my first toothache ever. I teased Dove about how pitiful he acts with one and let me say to everyone...I owe you a HUGE apology Sweetheart!!! This is absolutely AWFUL!

Wish me luck, I have an appointment with the Dentist at 9 in the morning. Pray that it's not too painful...for me or our wallet!

We had our small group tonight and I am so thankful for our friends. I really look forward to Thursday night and the Boys definitely do. They are so incredibly social. They LOVE having friends come over. They got to meet Baby Joseph tonight. The two week old addition to our group. He is soooooo sweet! The Boys were in complete awe of him and so was I. He is beautiful!!! We are so grateful for his family and him!

The throbbing is making me loopy, so nighty-night all!

Shuffle, Shuffle.

2008-11-11T22:24:00.003-05:00

That would be the noise that I've been hearing for about an hour now. Someone can't seem to stay in their bed, Brody.

They are getting much better. Lex will not get out unless he asks and we say it's ok. Collin will stay in after a while. But my little Brody thinks it is a fun game to get up and down, up and down, trade beds, go see Indy. Whatever he can do to get out of bed. He is the most excited about it though, so what gives? It must be the sweet call of freedom.

Shuffle, shuffle...here we go again. It is pretty cute though.

P.S. Happy Veteran's Day to all of our Veteran's! Especially to my brother Brad!!! We have your selflessness to thank for our Freedom. God Bless You ALL!!! We love you Uncle Brad!!!

Big Bed Pictures!

2008-11-10T21:42:00.003-05:00

"Mommy, you are interrupting a very important conversation."

3 Big Beds for 3 Big Boys!

Lex

Brody

Collin

It is slowly getting easier to get them to fall asleep. Every day gets a tad better. They love them and sleep totally fine once they fall asleep. Getting them to stay in them long enough to fall asleep is the trick. It will happen...

Big Boy Beds!!!

2008-11-07T22:51:00.003-05:00

Well, the time has come! This morning Brody was bouncing on his bed and bounced so high he lost control and dove headfirst over the side of his crib. Luckily he flipped right before he hit the ground and landed on his back. I was at the door to their room and just missed grabbing him. It was the most terrifying moment of motherhood so far. I am so thankful that he is okay, but I told Dove they are not sleeping in their cribs one more night.

I really wanted to wait longer, I was not ready for this, but I'm also not willing to risk that happen again. It was a super crazy day and long story short we finally got all of their beds put together around 9pm. They are normally in bed by 8, so this already screwed up our schedule, but hey, safety first.

They are SUPER excited! They have been asking for "Big Beds" for weeks now, so you can imagine how excited they are. It is 11 and Brody and Collin are still wide awake. I don't think they've ever stayed up this late. Lex is sleeping like a pro on Collin's bed! I think they think it's a musical bed game because Brody adopted Lex's bed and Collin has staked out Brody's. Oh well, a bed's a bed, ha ha!

Since it was so late I haven't gotten any pictures yet, but I will tomorrow for sure. They look so grown up. Just pray they actually fall asleep at some point, hopefully on a bed!

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Nighty-night.

Halloween...FINALLY! Part 3: School Party

2008-11-05T20:38:00.003-05:00

I see you too Mommy!!!

My little Brody-Ham!

Lex driving!

So hard to get a picture of one face, let alone three. I'm just glad they are all in it, ha ha!

Collin loves the cool pirate beads!
(They aren't super tiny, lol, that is their teacher's son and he is older.)

Okay, cheese, now can I trick or treat???

There's nothing in mine yet either...

FINALLY! Brody thinks he found something!

Waiting for the party to start after trick or treating through the school. Starting off with a smartie appetizer.

Halloween...FINALLY! Part 2: Oatland Island

2008-11-05T20:34:00.003-05:00

Someone(I won't name him, but his name may sound strangely like a bar of soap.) took my sd card out of my camera...so I only have these two pics!

Halloween...FINALLY! Part 1: Pumpkin Carving

2008-11-05T20:15:00.008-05:00

"Alright Mom, I'll give it a go," says Lex.

It's not so bad with a spoon. Meanwhile Brody is completely content making his skeleton dance and not touching the pumpkin.

No Mom, I'm not going to try. Lex is doing just fine on his own...where's Collin???

Mommy says I have to give the top back and stop eating it.

Daddy and our masterpiece.

The infamous Pumpkin eater, Collin!(I took the top away and gave him a triangle eye.)

Oh peas!

2008-11-04T22:17:00.003-05:00

Mommy made a mess! UH OH! Mommy dropped it!

Yes I did. We were getting stuff out of the fridge to make lunch and Mommy knocked over a full bag(open, thank you Daddy :/) of Steamfresh peas! And of course they poured in slow motion all over the floor of the kitchen and the inside of the fridge.

As my mouth went down in a frown, I watched three little boys eyes widen and big smiles cross their faces. I don't know what was more exciting, watching hundreds of little green balls bounce everywhere or realizing that Mommy made a BIG mess. I couldn't help but give in and giggle at their excitement.

Just then I saw a look cross Collin's face and before I could stop him he started stepping barefoot all over the peas. My first reaction was to tell him that was not what we do with spilled peas and he was making a bigger mess. My second reaction was to see what he thought of squishing peas with his toes. I also started taking off my socks ready to make it a fun pea squishing game.

That is until I saw the new look on his face. The gross one.

Apparently cold peas don't feel so good on bare feet, even two year old ones.

Secretly I am a little disappointed. In those 20 seconds I thought I might get to join in, I had visions of it being some kind of therapeutic foot massage treatment.

Oh well it brought joy to my hungry little men and gave our Indy some fresh greens, and I got to see how many peas we are getting for our money.

It's a good deal!

Seriously!

2008-11-02T20:14:00.002-05:00

What's the deal? My own blog hates me! I've been trying to post a message for a couple of days and it's been taking FOREVER! Oh well, all that matters is I'm here now! HA!

If you haven't heard, there is a WONDERFUL article in the Savannah Morning News about my beautiful little men! Anne Hart did a fantastic job, I cried reading it! You can find it online here:
http://savannahnow.com/node/608318

I have tons of pictures to share with you and lots of stories of our latest illness, but that will have to wait.

Today is my 6th wedding anniversary. I don't know why God chose to bless me with such a wonderful man for my husband and such an incredible father to my little men, but I thank Him every day.

I love you sweetheart, I always have and I always will.

Wow!

2008-10-28T20:46:00.000-04:00

I seriously think the Twilight Zone sucked my house up for a few hours tonight! It all started with me suggesting an early bath...

The next thing I know, Collin has bit Lex and both are screaming. Daddy is in the bathroom running water so I decide to start stripping everyone down to get in the tub. He comes out and joins in.

I got Collin done and Dove got Brody done and they are running around naked while Dove grabs Lex. I am gathering the diapers to toss when I see Brody looking down behind the train table in a funny way. He kept raising his legs and looking disgusted so I thought, crap he must have peed. Right?

Wrong.

He POOPED! Then he stepped in it and tried wiping it off on the floor and side of the train table. :| How he managed to get it in that many places in mere seconds, I will never know. I am trying to keep him from making a bigger mess and wait for Dove to be able to hand me stuff to clean Brody and then the mess up with and keep Indy away when I hear Dove yell COLLIN, ON YOUR PILLOW???

I look up and Collin is standing on the side of the armchair, in his birthday suit remember, peeing away into his bed and on his pillow!

At that point I think I started laughing.

Dove corralled them into the tub while I tried to salvage as much floor and bedding as possible when Brody comes strutting back to put his trains up. On the way back he pauses and guess what, apparently now he has to pee pee. Which he does in the middle of the room on the floor.

Our house could be quite possibly be labeled a biological hazard at this point.

All's well that ends well. Who needs sitcoms in this house???

Night all!

Nuggets, Nuggets and Fries Please!

2008-10-27T20:59:00.000-04:00

That is what Collin is saying from his bed right now. I love the baby monitor. They may have that in their room until they move out. The conversations between two year olds are hilarious!

I just ran to their room to check on them and in the two minutes I was there I had Happy Birthday sung to me, got to hear the difference between car and train noises, was almost convinced to let them go slide, and when that didn't work Collin's back-up was playing choo-choo trains. Giggling I told them goodnight. Honestly I thought they were all asleep, the room had been silent for a good thirty minutes before the N/F comment. I love my life!!!

They are so stinking excited about Halloween! We originally thought we would not carve a pumpkin, knives, pumkin guts and 3 two year old boys just didn't really go hand in hand in my mind. We bought a plug in pumpkin at Target and were content with that until the pumpkin patch this weekend. We went ahead and got one and they had been so excited to give it a face since Saturday. Well tonight was the big night. I cut the top out and they were so excited until I reached in and brought out a hand of goo. Not one of them wanted to touch it. They kept looking inside saying, No, No, No. This went on for a good while until I told them that we were going to cook the pumpkin seeds after we were done which prompted Lex to eat one raw. They slowly worked up the courage to help take one seed out at a time. This went on for about ten minutes before I got back in the drivers seat. I then gave the job to Dove and it was around this time that I noticed that Collin and the top were gone. I called his name and heard, "Mmmm mmmm!" He came back in the kitchen munching away on the raw bottom part of the pumpkin top. In shock that he would actually eat this and not the wonderful, yummy meals that I cook him day after day, I sat and watched as Lex also joined in on eating raw pumpkin. Dove and I just started laughing and hoping that pumpkin doesn't make toddlers sick. I will have to admit that I tried a bite and it's not really something I would like to take a bite of again. But hey, it's a veggie so it must be good for you right??? We finally got our pumpkin done and lit to many rounds of Happy Birthday and then 5 minutes of trying to blow the pumpkin out.

It was a wonderful evening, and I really mean that. I am the luckiest Mommy alive!

I am still a little hurt thought that a raw pumpkin looks more appetizing than a plate of spaghetti...night night all!

Rain, Rain go away day...

2008-10-24T20:41:00.000-04:00

is what my 3 little men have been singing all day.

My poor Boys, it's been a rough day.

We started out with a trip to the Dr. to get every toddler's favorite thing(drumroll please).................
SHOTS!!! They were out of the Hep A shot at their 2 year check up so we waited until they had the flu shot in as well so we could get both at the same time. They were so brave. I brought them a piece of candy to hold while they got them and then to eat after. Brody barely cried, he was too excited for his smarties. I am very glad that it is over and we are clear of those things for a bit.

We had a big night planned. We were going to go to Oatland Island, our kind of zoo, they were having a trick-or-treating event and we had been looking forward to it for a long time. Unfortunately it was raining when we woke up and it's still going strong so we did not make it out. It is going on tomorrow night also, so maybe it will dry out by then. There are so many festivals going on this weekend, we had planned on having a packed schedule. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little less moist.

I'm tired and it's about time for our weekly ghost show...soooooo night y'all.

Blah, Blah, Blah

2008-10-22T21:25:00.000-04:00

This is a whine post. I'm tired, I'm cold and I don't want to clean. BLAH! Yay, I got that off my chest. Whew!

2008-10-19T19:43:00.000-04:00

Okay, so we did a "trial trick or treat" today and it went pretty good. We found out a few things:
1. Their costumes are a little big so we have to exchange them.
2. They LOVE candy corn.
3. Candy corn makes two year olds EXTREMELY hyper in large quantities.
4. Halloween is going to be AWESOME this year!!!

They had fun, we were torn between two sizes because one is almost perfect, maybe a tiny bit too small so we went with the bigger one. The bigger one has really long legs and I realized this could be really bad for short legs in the dark going up and down steps. Please pray there are still 3 smaller sizes left. They are going to be the 3 Blind Mice and will wear sunglasses/big eye glasses and have canes and cute little noses and whiskers(if they let me) on the big day(s). I think Dove and I are more excited than they are, ha ha!

This video is of our trial run, enjoy!!!
P.S. The tags and hanger things are still on, just in case they didn't fit. That's what is sticking up on their heads!

Busy, busy, busy!

2008-10-17T20:38:00.001-04:00

Gosh it's been a crazy few weeks! Grandma and Grandpa McHargue have been here a lot trying to close on their new condo here. It's been so much fun spending time with them, we all were very sad when they left! If they ever get to close, they should be back soon though to finish decorating, so we are looking forward to that!

The Boys got a stomach virus a couple of weeks ago and Dove and I got something that really seemed like the flu. It was a rough week! We all got better and then out of nowhere Lex got super sick on Monday. He woke up from his nap completely sweaty and burning up. He had a fever of 103 and couldn't stand up or sit up. He was completely lethargic and started gagging so Brody, Collin and I took him right to the Dr. He threw up in the car on the way. He got an antibiotic shot and a bunch of meds. He kept getting sicker and sicker and Tuesday morning he couldn't even hold his neck up. The Dr's nurse called three times to suggest things and relay messages from the Dr and give him updates. It was really scary. Brody started running a fever and throwing up too, but he was just a little grouchy and still wanted to play. Finally Tuesday afternoon Lex's fever came down a bit and he started asking for something to eat. Neither of the fevers broke until Thursday morning. It was the scariest thing in the world to hold my 2 year old and have to support his neck like a newborn. They still aren't really eating much, but they are getting back to their old selves! Praise the Lord! I think Collin may have had a much milder form of the illness last Saturday. He ran a low fever for two days and didn't really eat much. I'm just praying they get a break and stay healthy for a bit!

My 30th Birthday was yesterday! I had a perfect day! How could I not with the most perfect Husband and Children in the world. I am a lucky, lucky lady! We went out to dinner with a bunch of friends from church and it was just a wonderful day!

I am going to sign off now and watch a ghost show with Dove. The Boys are in bed and it's our Friday night tradition.

I almost forgot, we got the Boys costumes tonight and they are the most adorable things you've ever seen! We will have a preview photo shoot tomorrow, so I'm going to keep you in suspense until then.

Goodnight world, sleep tight!

Psalm 143

2008-09-23T20:44:00.000-04:00

1 O LORD, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.

2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.

3 The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.

4 So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.

5 I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.

6 I spread out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Selah

7 Answer me quickly, O LORD;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.

9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD,
for I hide myself in you.

10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.

11 For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.

Sooooo.......

2008-09-20T20:15:00.000-04:00

What is going on here??? My sweet angels have been NUTS for the past couple of days. I don't know if it's the full moon, the medicine they have been taking for a cold, the weather change or what, but I miss my sweet Boys!

Today was better, and I even went to a baby shower for a friend by myself for a few hours! I eat so slowly when I go somewhere and eat so much. It's nice to actually taste food every once in awhile! I missed them like crazy though and came home to them being so sweet and happy to see me. Maybe they are just getting sick of me, ha ha! They need me to leave every once in awhile.

I can't think tonight, I'm so tired. We had a yard sale this morning and I am pooped. It's been a long day, so I will talk to y'all soon! Night!

A few more...

2008-09-17T22:24:00.000-04:00

A few more pictures, just for fun! They were really ready to go and not very happy with us for taking so long. Hence the no smiles. I think my camera may actually have an anti-smile feature. It guarantees to turn every smile upside down. It probably didn't help that their "zebra" movie was on either, ha ha!

A big day!

2008-09-17T22:04:00.000-04:00

We had such a big day here today! This morning when the Boys got up I asked them if they wanted to go to school today. They were so stinking excited! They were ready to go, jammies and all. We got their backpacks ready and they couldn't wait to leave! They were so excited about their backpacks and having their names on them. They kept running around yelling, "Backpacks and names, SCHOOL!!!". It was hilarious!

We finally went and they were so happy, they didn't bat an eye, just started playing with all of the toys and everyone there. They didn't care that we left at all. I called to check on them and they were happily playing on the playground and when I went back to get them, they were so excited to show me all of the toys, they didn't want to leave!

I have to tell you though, that I missed them like MAD! I didn't know what to do. Our house was sooooo quiet. I wanted to go get them every minute, but I cleaned like crazy and actually took a long shower to pass the time instead. Hey, I even shaved my legs! Look at me, I am almost a girly girl again, ha ha!

We also went to the pet store tonight and they picked out their fishies. They each got a shrimp and a guppy. Lex's is orange, Brody's blue and orange and Collin's is yellow. They love them and watched them all night. We even had to cut our bath short to go back and see the fishies. I must admit, I have been staring at them off and on since they have gone to bed.

Speaking of bed, I need to go there myself! I'm worn out tonight! I am going to try to add pictures of their school adventures and then go nighty-night. Sweet dreams everyone!

I FORGOT TO MENTION!!!

2008-09-16T21:52:00.001-04:00

My Husband, the most AMAZING man in the world, has a new book out today!!! His "Twilight Zone" comic was released today!!! Check it out!!!

Here is a link to Barnes and Noble:
http://browse.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?ATH=Dove+McHargue

P.S. The Boys and I are mentioned on the back cover, pretty sweet, ha ha!

School tomorrow!

2008-09-16T21:34:00.000-04:00

Last year the Boys went to a Parent's Morning Out class while Dove was in Japan. They went twice a week for 3 hours each time. Of course I always stayed forever and came back early, so they were maybe there for an hour and a half. I hated being away from them, but they loved it! Every time we drive by they yell, "School, School!".

Well, I couldn't decide what to about this year. I ended up agreeing to teach their class, that way they could go and I wouldn't feel horrible for leaving them. They ended up not needing extra teachers so that flew out the window. I decided not to take them and then a week later they were getting stir crazy, so I thought we'll try it for one day and see how it goes.

They loved it! They were ready to go back when we got home. So they will be going one day a week for 3 hours. If they really, really love it, and while Dove is in Japan again this year, they will go twice a week. Tomorrow is their first day, we got their "school supplies" yesterday. They are basically, crayons, markers, glue and art smocks. They just play and do crafts while they are there, so it will be fun for them. I will miss them like mad, I already do! But Dove and I are going to go have breakfast by ourselves after we drop them off and before he goes to class. That will be nice.

My little men are growing up so fast. I just want to stop time and enjoy them for a while. I hate how fast this flies by.

Now I get to go clean and set up their new fish tank. Thank you so much Granpy and and GranMissy! They will love it, I can't wait to see their faces. I will take pictures to share.

Nighty-night!

Back to work!

2008-09-09T20:10:00.000-04:00

Today Dove went back to work. We are so blessed that he has the job he does and can be home so much, it always stinks though when he has a couple of weeks off and has to go back. We miss Daddy like crazy when he's not here.

I don't know what is going on with my sweet little men. They have been so grouchy lately. Lots of fighting and whining. I feel like I'm getting sick today and almost lost it when I told myself, remember you are going to miss this one day soon. I got a second wind and we had a good lunch! I can't wait for the "terrific twos" to kick in, ha ha!

They are so funny though. They all LOVE the letter B for some reason. They love it so much so that Collin now says his name is B-Collin. I need to get it on video, it's hilarious. He spells his name Bcollin when you ask. Brody is such a little ham, he is always doing silly things and making funny faces to make you laugh, definitely my class clown! And Lex, that boy thinks he is the boss of the world and loves it! He is so sweet though too, he is always hugging his brothers, Indy, Mommy, Daddy and everything else. He loves group hugs and when he finds something he "loves" he has to hug it. Including the outside and juice(in cups without lids and with).

They are freaking out so it's time to go. Good night!

Lookie, two days in a row!

2008-09-08T19:41:00.001-04:00

Wow! I can't believe I'm blogging two days in a row! Today started off with lots of arguing and whining but ended up lots of fun! We went to the Little Jumping Bean(the Boys favorite place ever!) and Mommy and Daddy made fools of themselves jumping like toddlers. Let me tell you though, every ounce of humiliation is worth it when you see the smiles and laughter that it brings from the only people in the world that matter. I've decided that it doesn't matter what anyone other than God and my family think of me. I don't want to sit on the sidelines and miss the fun because I could look silly. Besides, it is a blast to be silly! I love it!!!

What a bad blogger I am...

2008-09-07T14:57:00.000-04:00

I forgot I even started this. I kept thinking, gosh, I should start a blog and then I found my own, ha ha!!! I'm going to try this again. I really do have the best intentions, I just get so caught up in our little world that I totally space. I'm going to regret not doing this if I don't do it though, so here goes!

It's been a year since I wrote on here, and gosh what a difference! Every day they grow up a little more, it's nuts! They are talking like crazy, running non stop and loving every minute of life. I am learning so much from them. Speaking of them, I hear a rustling from their room so they must be waking up. More later!

2008-01-16T19:35:00.000-05:00

Gosh, it sure has been a long time since I did this. I don't even know where to start. Maybe I should just start fresh with the new year and all.

My Boys are 17 Months old now. I can't believe it!!! They are so incredibly amazing and I am still in awe of them every second of the day. They talk like crazy now and are truly little sponges wanting to soak up anything you give them. They can count to 3 and yesterday we learned to stand on one leg and try to hop. Notice the try, lol. It's so cute though!

Another Day!

2007-09-05T20:51:00.000-04:00

I am so going to miss having Dove home when he goes back to work next week. It's been so nice to have so much family time. Today we got the boys new shoes which are adorable, went to the guitar store for Daddy, played at the softplay at the mall and went to McDonald's for dinner. I know, bad mommy for feeding them that. They love it though and Wednesday's are family day so we go every once in awhile and enjoy it. They love it! I can't wait to see what fun we will have tomorrow!

Home

2007-09-03T10:08:00.000-04:00

I can't believe time has slipped by so fast. A year ago today we were celebrating having spent our first night as family all at home, all together. God is so amazing and has blessed us more than we ever dreamed possible. Lex came home first on September 1, 2006 after we roomed in for a night with him at the hospital. He was in the hospital for 2 weeks and 4 days. Brody and Collin were supposed to stay for a few more days or a week. The next morning we got a call at 8am saying they could come home that afternoon. They came home September 2, 2006 after 2 weeks and 5 days in the hospital. They were born at 32 weeks gestation and come home at 34 weeks, 4 days and 34 weeks, 5 days. They would not start bottle feeds until they hit the 34 week mark(babies do not have the suck, swallow, breath reflex until then), so it was pretty amazing that they came home that quickly after. They start with one bottle feed a day and then add the others on slowly. Our boys were starving, ha ha!

Can we sleep tonight?

2007-09-01T22:35:00.001-04:00

Poor Brody has been sick for the last few days. Running a low fever, not sleeping well and really cranky. He has gotten so many teeth lately and I can feel his one year molars so I thought that is what has been going on. Today he has been grabbing at his ear all day though and his fever was a little higher, so I will probably take him to the Dr in the morning if he is still not well. He has also not been able to sleep at night for the past couple of nights, which mean Mommy and Daddy have not been able to sleep either. Or for that matter, Lex, Collin and Indy as well. I gave him Motrin around 6 and he was asleep by 6:45, so we will see. If you get a chance say a little prayer that he is all healed up in no time and if it's teething, they break through painlessly. My poor little man! Nighty-night!

Such Big Boys!

2007-08-29T20:46:00.000-04:00

I can't believe how quickly my babies are turning into little boys! Today we went to the park with my friend Brooke and her son, the boy's best friend Jack. He is exactly a week younger than the boys. We had so much fun and the boys all got to play on the playground toy for the first time! It was so stinking cute! It's so weird to think that just about a year ago we were walking around the park and talking about how fun it will be when they can play together. They really are the cutest little friends, they seem to know each other and like playing together. They went up this little ramp to a platform, with the help of their Mommies, and played with these steering wheels on the platform. After that they all took turns swinging and eating graham crackers and having their juice. I feel like I am going to blink and they will be going off to college. I should have brought my camera, but I didn't. Next time, I will definitely remember!

Walmart

2007-08-26T20:53:00.000-04:00

Is where we spent 2 and a half hours today. We ran to get a few groceries, and everyone decided it was naptime about halfway through. So, Dove and I walked around letting our frozen goods melt so everyone could sleep. It was good though. It wasn't as bad today as it usually is. For some reason the rudest people I have come across have been in Walmart. That is where I have heard a lot of, "I feel so sorry for you!" comments, or "Wow, that must be awful!". That is the one place I have actually had a breakdown by myself. I had the rudest women basically start a fight with me and I ended up crying in the pickle section while the boys slept. That is the last time we went there alone. I seriously don't know what is wrong with people sometimes. How could they look at my children as anything but the gift from God that they are? I guess they just aren't strong enough to handle it themselves. I could take it and move on if it weren't for the fact that they Boys are going to understand what they are saying soon if they don't already. I NEVER want them for a second to think they are anything but good! It breaks my heart to think of the day that I will have to explain why people say things like this. Hopefully I won't have to. On another note, their first molars are definitely coming in. I could feel Brody's really well today and I know it must hurt like crazy. Poor babies. I wish I could take the pain away from them. Let me tell you though that I am one brave Momma for sticking my finger in there. He has 8 super sharp teeth and a bite like a pit bull. I made it out blood free, but I was a little scared. That's it for today, I am going to bed early tonight. Sleep well world!

First Blog

2007-08-25T20:44:00.000-04:00

I hope that I am doing this right. I am new to this whole thing, so bear with me. I have identical triplet boys that turned one a week and a half ago. They are the greatest blessing I could have ever received. I am so thankful for them and so humbled that God felt us worthy to put them in our care. For anyone wondering, they are "spontaneous" triplets. They are identical so they all came from one egg and fertility medicine can not do that. You are probably thinking, "Gosh, you sure have your hands full!" But really it's not bad. It's not hard either. A lot of times I think it's easier than having 3 kids different ages. We just do one thing 3 times where someone with 3 kids does 3 different things 3 times. And they had to be pregnant 3 times. I was only pregnant once for 32 weeks. That is less than 11 weeks per baby. They are really good babies, but they did all have colic, and while it wasn't the most fun time, it was just a part of being a parent. We have never had kids so for us this is totally normal. We don't know any differently. Yes there are times that I can't stand the crying or I want to sit down, but I know that whatever I am feeling will pass. I may only have one chance to experience all of this, so I want to experience all of it. Wow, that was a lot. I tend to ramble on, so forgive me. I could talk about my Boys forever, as long as they are asleep, ha ha! This is me and this is my blog, enjoy!