Halloween 2011

First, let me say that I am very behind in my blogging. Grandmas Di & Peg visited last week, and the babies turned 19 months old, and our new nanny started two months ago, and I haven't blogged about any of it! I will take care of Halloween first, and then I'll get back on track the rest of this week.

We spent most of the day at home, hanging out in our pre-costume Halloween-themed outfits.

Oh the drama!


His shirt says "here comes trouble"






Late this afternoon we took the crew to UVa's Trick or Treating on the Lawn. It's a big community event each year. My parents came with us, which was helpful for wrangling our wayward fairies and dragon. (thanks to Grandma Di for the costumes!)

Trick or Treating!






Oh no - not enough candy!


Snack break!






Playing in the leaves






It all went much better than last year (when they screamed whenever anyone looked at them). They had a good time wandering around and looking at all the costumes (a duck! a dog! big bird! a cat!), and we snagged a little bit of candy. We also ran into lots of friends and their kids. And the best part was, they were exhausted and went to bed without any trouble tonight!

So Sad

Another sad post about another tragic loss. A woman that I got to know through an online community of moms of multiples died last night. She had fought cancer for 5 years, went through IVF and froze embryos before chemo, later did a transfer of her embryos and was blessed with triplets. Her babies just turned one last week. She died less than two weeks after their first birthday.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/meghanjoule

Her blog is http://mbjmaybebaby.blogspot.com/ - it will give you more of her history but hasn't been updated in a few months.


I'm having a really hard time with this. I can't imagine babies being left without a mom, and I can't believe a dad has to raise his triplets alone. It's so awful I can't stand it.

I know that donations are being accepted to set up education funds for the babies - the Caring Bridge site has the details if anyone wants to donate.

Hug your babies and moms and dads and spouses tonight.

BBQ at the Farm

(First, I can't believe I haven't done a blog post in over a week - yikes! I've been crazy busy tired lately)

On Saturday we went to a friend's BBQ. They have a 100 acre property with beautiful mountain views, and every year they have a big party with pork BBQ and live music. The trio had a great time, and we were grateful for our friends with pre-teen daughters who helped to wrangle them when they ran in 3 different directions.



We need to get them their own mini chairs so we can have ours back.



The farm wagon gave us lots of opportunities for pictures of cuteness





Attempting a family photo



Finally at least the grown-ups are looking at the camera and smiling


We left the party later than we should have and had to endure 40+ minutes of screaming on the way home. We had only brought sippy cups of milk, and they wanted bottles (we're still having trouble with the transition). They went to bed an hour later than normal, and "slept in" until 6:30 the next day. It's fun now that we can take them out to more places, but it sure is tiring!

Folk Music Festival

Today we drove to the Richmond Folk Music Festival (about 75 minutes away) to see one of Jason's co-workers play in a band. They were playing on the children's stage, so it was a great family-friendly atmosphere. There was even a petting zoo (we didn't get any pictures of that, since we were busy trying to keep the trio from getting bitten by ducks).

The kids enjoyed dancing and running around in the fresh air.


One way of keeping Abby from running off.


Climbing in and out of strollers while listening to the music


Jason got called up to help play the triangle during the last song. Zoey enjoyed dancing along.


Relaxing and eating greasy fair food (Lucas and Abby like bloomin' onion, Zoey does not)



One last pic before leaving


The ride home was less than pleasant (screaming babies who were tired of being in the car/stroller), but it was still a fun afternoon!

Another race

After the labor day weekend women's 4 miler race (which I finished in 46 minutes), I decided to sign up for a 5k in my parents' neighborhood. It was a trail run, using the course that the local high school uses for their cross country training. Jason and the babies and my parents came out to cheer me on.

Waiting around for me to finish


Crossing the finish line. I finished in 32ish minutes, with the first mile taking me only 9 minutes, mile 2 was 11 minutes, and mile 3 was 12 minutes. The last half was hilly and soggy!!


Finally finished (please excuse the hair and the squinting into the sun)


The whole gang


I signed up for one more 5k in November - hoping to at least keep my time consistent. It's definitely easier to run more quickly when I don't have to wait for a dog to stop and sniff and pee every 30 seconds!

Chores

Lately we've been trying to get the kids to clean up after themselves. They do a great job of putting their dirty clothes in the laundry hamper (along with their clean clothes, my shoes, diapers, toys, and the foam letters from their floor mat). They think it's fun to imitate us, and we're trying to capitalize on it.

One day after a particularly messy meal involving splattered yogurt, I gave them all damp cloths to wipe the floor. They had a great time...


...although they kept trying to suck on the cloths while cleaning. Ick.


Cleaning their room. So glad this cleaning set came with 3 tools!


They also enjoyed cleaning the living room.


Lucas often likes to "paint" with milk using his bottle. So the other night I gave him a paper towel and told him he had to clean it up. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take away his bottle. :) (please ignore the loud music in the background)

Fun at the pumpkin patch

On Friday, Jason surprised us by leaving work early so we could have some family fun at the local orchard/pumpkin patch. We're lucky to live so close to such a beautiful place. The trio seemed to have a good time, despite the heat. It was a great start to the weekend!

Starting out. Glad all 3 could fit in one wagon!

Whew - that was a long walk!

The ground was really uneven, which led to many falls


I want this one!



Exhausted after choosing their pumpkin


After the pumpkin patch, we let them run around in the peach orchard for a bit. The grass was really long, so it was a big adventure for them.

Catch me if you can!


See ya later!


After the orchard, we decided to be brave and take the trio to a local pizza place for dinner. It was only 4:30pm, so we had the place to ourselves. The kids did great, and the grown-ups were even able to consume some beer & pizza. I think we'll try it again soon!

Abby resting between bites

Lucas being goofy

Zoey eating a slice


Happy Fall!