Recent happenings

They love running around the yard now.




Queen of the castle?


Surveying his kingdom


Trying to share the cozy coupe. Guess we'd better get one or two more.


Oops.


We are finally learning how to wear Max out. Unfortunately for me, it involves a 1-2 mile run every morning. I never really intended to become a daily runner when I started training for the race, but it is nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air and early morning QUIET every day while Jason corrals the crew for breakfast.


Enjoying the new window seat cushions, which were custom made by GrandMary


Cuddling with my trio after work


Zoey's hair is starting to get wavy as it gets longer


I have a bunch more cute pictures, but I don't want to use them all at once. You'll just have to wait for the next installment!

A bit of fundraising

Hi folks,
I'm stepping away from triplet pics for a minute to spread the word about a couple of fundraisers that I think are very worthwhile.

First, I will be running in the Charlottesville Women's Four Miler this Saturday. I haven't run in a race in well over 10 years, probably closer to 15 (geez I'm old!). This race benefits the UVA Breast Care Center. If you'd like to donate to this great cause, check out this website: http://www.dominiondigital.com/Womens4Miler/

Second, a woman who I met online has a baby girl who is suffering from bone marrow failure. She is due to get a bone marrow transplant this week, thanks to a selfless donor. If you'd like to donate money, or be tested to see if you're a bone marrow match for someone, check out Lindsey's blog to find out how: http://alexandlindsey.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-1-dear-donor.html

Finally, we can't forget our animal friends. We rescued Max from Save a Lab, and they are always in need of funding to rescue more labrador retrievers from high-kill shelters along the east coast. You can find them here: http://www.savealabnc.com/

Ok, stepping off my fundraising soapbox now. Happy Wednesday, and stay tuned for more pictures of the trio coming soon!

Happy-go-Lucky Lucas

Well, it's been a busy week here in Virginia. First an earthquake (and aftershocks) and then a hurricane. Luckily no damage or injuries here.

This post features some of Lucas's recent escapades...

Trying to get out to the screen porch. Notice the new curtains? They definitely help keep the room darker.


Curtains are great for playing peek-a-boo!


Cuddling with his dog


One of his favorite hats is this lacy white bonnet. The boy can't help it that 2/3 of the stuff in the house is girly!


Playing in the tunnel connector


Even with his eye swollen shut from a pinkey/bug bite combo, Lucas is still smiling!

17 Months

We can't believe the babies are 17 months old today! Guess we shouldn't really be calling them babies anymore...

Say cheese!


Laundry basket fun


Giddy-up!


Zoey has been discovering her climbing abilities. She is quite nimble. We may need to look into gymnastics classes.


Trying to figure out how to get out of the screen porch.


At our department picnic. Thank goodness for grad students volunteering to help wrangle them!


Zoey selected this outfit herself. She is quite fashionable.


Enjoying some quality time with Max


Reading in the window seat before bed


Sign language they use:
Milk, More, Eat, Cheese, Banana, Please, Dog, Cat, Duck, Turtle, Bird, Monkey, Pig, Frog, Sleep, Shoes, Socks, Hat, Ball, Car, Swing, Book, All done, Diaper

Words they say:
Up, Ball, Quack ("kak"), Baa, Moo, Woof, Outside ("ow-ts"), All Done, Cup, Abby, Mama

Things they are doing:
Climbing, Twirling, Dancing, Fighting over toys, Sharing toys, Tickling, Hugging, Kissing, Giggling, Resisting diaper changes, Giving Max their toys and food, Eating with spoons, Reading

Outdoor Fun

Now that it's usually less than 100 degrees out, we've been taking the trio outside to play more. A couple of weeks ago we took them to an infant-toddler Montessori camp (which thankfully was right up the street from us - we just had to push the stroller up a big hill and we were there). It was nice to get some ideas about different things they could play with and different ways they could learn. It sure was tough getting them out the door in the morning though - made me really grateful for my parents and babysitter coming to our house while we're at work!

Wet and tired after splashing in the wading pool at camp


Lucas swinging


Abby eating grass at GrandMary's feet


The girls taking a break from playing


We've also been playing outside in our backyard - we've gathered a few different outdoor toddler playsets and the trio loves trying everything out. Will add pictures of this soon - check back on this post in a day or two!

Unfortunately, all the outdoor play has led to lots of mosquito bites for Lucas and Zoey. They have inherited my mosquito-magnet skin - I'm always covered in lots of welts too. Abby seems to have inherited Jason's mosquito immunity and almost never gets bitten. I haven't used insect repellant on them yet because I hate the idea of the chemicals (and the automatic bath afterwards) but I worry about all the welts - I had to give Lucas Benadryl the other day to get the swelling to go down.


Thankfully, we have a big screened porch where the babies can play on really hot or rainy days. They are learning to color (well, Abby eats the crayons and Lucas steals them) and love to sit in their mini adirondack chairs to read.

Happy Birthday Cookie Great Grandma!

The babies were very sad that they couldn't see their Grandma on her birthday.



But, they got over it and decided to do a little dance in her honor.



Then, they wanted to show how they can spell (uh, that's supposed to say PAT).



Finally, Zoey and Abby let loose with their new writing skills....



We love you Grandma; make sure Grandpa takes you out for a nice dinner!

Abby, Lucas, & Zoey

Assorted videos

Just for fun, I randomly selected a few videos without screening them first. Let's see what kind of antics we captured...

Dad chose this music


The girls playing with their new cat-shaped musical piano (thanks MRS - we haven't sent a thank you note yet, but the babies love the piano!)


Being silly at mealtime

Fun weekend

Another great weekend at our house. Jason's cousin Cindy, husband Chad, and kids Kira and Ty came to visit. We hadn't seen them since last fall so it was fun to catch up with each other. Unfortunately, we hardly took any pictures while they were here - guess we were having too much fun!

Kira and Lucas loved playing in the kitchen together


Tunnel monster


Max watching everyone leave


On Sunday afternoon we decided to take the babies to a park. We had the whole place to ourselves, so we could really let them roam and explore.

So stylish


Omigosh, sunglasses!


Fun spinning thing with Dad


They enjoyed exploring the water wall





Abby always has a piece of nature in her hand


Zoey loves to swing. She let Jason push her really high!


Of course, we paid for all this fun with the babies refusing their Sunday afternoon nap and being really cranky the rest of the day. Oh well, it was nice to have a family outing and get some fresh air.

Abby being Abby

After 2 days at camp, I now know my name and love to sing it.



Where's the hot tub?




Just lounge'n.



Max, I think I see a deer out there!