Christmas Over the Years

If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE Christmas.  It's just simply my favorite time of year. I've really been enjoying the holiday season this year and it's caused me to look back at years past.

Christmas four years ago was kind of a sad one.  That was during our battle with infertility and we didn't know if we'd ever have more than just our own stockings hung above the fireplace.  I had the stomach flu that Christmas and remember thinking maybe I was pregnant.  I took so many pregnancy tests and was so devastated when I realized I was just sick.

Then Christmas three years ago we were newly pregnant.  That was a good Christmas.  Despite being miserable from having Ovarian Hyper-stimulation Syndrome, I just couldn't stop smiling at the thought of the life growing inside me.  We had presents under our tree for our future "baby".  At the time we, of course, thought we were having just one baby but knew there was the possibility of two. Little did we know what was in store for us.

Christmas two years ago, we were a new family of five.  Life was crazy with three 5-month-olds but I loved every sleep-deprived moment.  I remember that was the Christmas that Ollie had his helmet and he just looked so darn cute with his squishy cheeks.  And I took so many pictures of my sweet boys.

Then last year the boys were mobile.  We had our Christmas tree gated off to keep them from pulling it down.  All three of the boys had the stomach bug that Christmas and poor Lucas ended up in the ER just two days before Christmas.  Having three puking toddlers is no picnic but I feel like we still managed to create some wonderful Christmas memories.

This year by far has been my favorite.  I've gotten to experience the magic of Christmas through the sparkling eyes of three 2-year-olds and it's just been so much fun.  They're so fascinated with anything related to Christmas.  They love Santa and will run around shouting "Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!"  They love Christmas trees and all the lights.  It's just so fun seeing how excited they are about everything. And it just reminds me of how amazingly blessed we are.  I love these boys so much and am so grateful to be their Mama!

Ollie's Surgery

One of my favorite features of our (not so) little Ollie has always been his cheeks.  When he was a baby he had the chubbiest little cheeks.  You couldn't help but kiss them!  

About a year ago, we noticed a tiny little dot on his left cheek.  It almost looked like a blackhead.  We mentioned it to our doctor at their 18 month appointment and she wasn't concerned.  After several months, it was still there.  Then right around their 2nd birthday it got big and red/purplish...almost like a giant zit.  We asked his doctor about it and she referred us to a dermatologist.  

At it's worst

It took us over a month to be seen but when we finally got in, she told us it was cyst.  She drained it and injected it several times with a steroid to shrink it down.  It was a pretty uncomfortable experience for him and kind of broke my heart watching it.  We had a follow up appointment 6 weeks later.  And while it did shrink quite a bit, she still said it was never going to completely go away on its own and that he was going to need surgery to remove it.

We were pretty disappointed to hear this but agreed, knowing that leaving it there could possibly lead to infection.

He went in for surgery the Monday after Thanksgiving.  My parents stayed in town through the weekend so they could be here on the day of the surgery.  James and I were both really grateful to have them there to watch Nolan and Lucas so we could both be there with Ollie.

Our morning started bright and early as we had a 7 AM arrival time.  We got Ollie up, quickly changed him then hopped in the car to head to Children's Mercy South.  

After getting checked in, we had a short wait in the waiting room, then went back into pre-op.  We talked with a nurse, got him changed into his hospital gown (which he was not a fan of), then got his vitals.  I almost lost it when they put the oxygen saturation monitor on his finger.  The sounds of the beeping totally took me back to the NICU days.

Being a children's hospital, they had all kinds of fun toys to play with.  We ended up spending about an hour or so in pre-op.  He did really well aside from peaking in the backpack several times and asking for a snack.  Poor kiddo was pretty hungry!  After everything had been explained to us by both the anesthesiologist and his doctor, we walked with him partway down the hall. I was a little nervous about leaving him before he was put under.  I knew if he cried, I would fall apart.  But when the time came, we gave him hugs and kisses and then the nurse picked him up and was asking him about his Lovey (which he had with him) and she walked back with him.  He was as happy as could be, which definitely helped me relax a bit.  

The surgery itself only lasted about 40 minutes.  James and I waited in the waiting room.  We were sitting near Darren Sproles' aunt, which I thought was really fascinating.  Soon, Dr. Swanson came out and told us he was out of surgery and that everything went great.  They told us we'd be able to go back and see him in recovery once he woke up.  Just a few minutes later, we went back there.  He still had his IV in and was snacking away on some goldfish.  He was a little dazed and was very fixated on eating his fish.  The nurse helped him into my lap on a chair where we got some good snuggling in.  We probably spent about an hour in recovery.  He was great the entire time.  Never cried at all except a little whine when his goldfish were gone!  We were told that he was the best behaved patient of the morning, which I believed.

The ride home was pretty uneventful.  We stopped by the pharmacy to drop off his prescription for pain medicine that we ended up filling but never really using.  We spent the rest of the day just taking it easy.

By the next morning, he was completely back to his old self.

All in all, it wasn't a bad experience...though I'm definitely glad to have it behind us.  He's going to have a bit of a scar, which made me sad at first because I just love those cheeks so much.  But honestly, it'll make him look tough...which he most certainly is.

When Did They Get So Big?

I don't know when it happened, but lately when I look at the boys, they just seem so big and grown up.  It's like it just happened over night.  They're starting to look more and more like boys and not babies.  It's just so hard to believe how fast it's all gone.

3 years ago we were in the heart of our IVF cycle...pumping multiple shots of hormones into my belly daily...knowing that this year we would either experience a very happy Christmas or a very sorrowful Christmas.  Fortunately it was a happy one.

2 years ago we had tiny little (almost) 5 month old babies.  We spent every waking moment taking care of their basic needs...feeding them, changing them...then doing it all over again.

A year ago we had new walkers and we were learning how to survive life with three mobile toddlers. And the challenge of no sleep.  This age was far worse for us than the newborn stage.  Night terrors. Sleep-deprived kiddos, sleep-deprived parents.

And now...we have little boys.  They've grown up a lot and wow, they've learned so much!  They know all their ABCs and they can count and recognize numbers up to 10.  They all know a number of shapes including an octagon and Nolan knows all his colors.  It blows me away what they're able to store away in their little 2-year-old brains.  They're starting really love interacting with one another and even will cry for each other if they wake up before the "bruers" (brothers).  They've gained some independence and don't need Mommy to be by their side every second of the day, yet they still all three love to snuggle and give hugs and kisses.

This age most definitely has its share of challenges which I'm likely to mention in my next blog post, but today...I'm enjoying my BIG BOYS!

The Cutest Thing - Pt. 6

It's been a while since I've done one of these!

The cutest thing...

...about Ollie is he now likes to say "Bye bye ______."  It might be "Bye bye, Kahlua." or "Bye bye, Einsteins."  Though usually it's "Bye bye, Don."  Don is my friend Lisa's step dad.  He came by the house several weeks ago and Ollie stood at the door and said "Bye bye, Don" for about 30 minutes after he left. He woke up the next day saying "Bye bye, Don" and has continued to say it randomly.  It's pretty hilarious...and super cute.

The cutest thing...

...about Nolan is his bedtime routine.  Simply put, he's kind of become a hoarder when it comes to going to bed.  He has to take up his lovey, blankey, a couple trains, several books (and sometimes a catalog or DVD case).  He has to have all these things in the crib with him before he'll go to bed. Once he gets all situated with his collection of things, he'll say "Night night" and "Love you" and blow kisses.  It's the sweetest thing and it melts my heart every time.

The cutest thing...

...about Lucas is his (over) enthusiasm for music, particularly if it's a song he really likes.  He's started to sing along and do the actions to "If You're Happy and You Know It".  It's seriously the most adorable thing to watch him do the "Clap clap, stomp stomp, HURRAY!" part at the end.  And then of course, afterwards he shouts "Yay!!!" as loud as possible and claps his hands.  It's like it's the best moment of his life...every time.

Johnson County Parks

Fall is approaching and therefore so is one of my favorite outdoor activities with the kids.  Parks! You can visit the park any time of year, but the fall is my favorite.  The weather is comfortable and older kids are back in school so it's usually not as busy.

We've visited a lot parks with the boys.  Some are certainly better than others.  My biggest criteria in a park is safety.  How easily can I keep my eyes on all three boys at once?  How close is the playground to the street/parking lot?  Is there water nearby?  Things like shade and age-appropriate equipment are also high up on my list.

The other day I stumbled upon this post:

https://pugsnotdrugs.wordpress.com/2015/08/08/joco-park-tour-summary-and-best-of/

This blogger tried out a handful of Johnson County's parks and wrote reviews on them.  Of the parks mentioned, we've been to Antioch, Black Bob, Brougham, Frontier, Franklin, Leawood, Sar Ko Par.

A quick word about each one we've been to:

Antioch - I really like the Dodge City set up they have there.  It just makes it different.  It's also a great park for walking around.  It's got nice paths and a little pond.  Probably my favorite part is that they have several infant/toddler swings, which is great for our boys!  My biggest complaint is that it just seems to get really busy.  We've only gone during the summer time, so it's possible it would be different during the school year.  It's also a bit of a drive for us.

Black Bob - This is walking distance for us which is great.  The playground is made to look like a castle which is fun.  This park also has a big trail that goes around the whole park.  The trail has fitness stops along the way if you're into that.  Black Bob Bay is a water park that is located within this park.  We haven't been yet with the boys because they're not big fans of the water, but it looks fun.  This park also tends to get kind of busy and I wish the swings were a little closer to the main play area.

Brougham - We walk to this park a lot.  It's an easy one to take the boys to when I'm alone.  It's got swings right by the equipment which is nice.  It's set away from the street quite a bit so I don't have to worry about the boys running out into oncoming traffic.  While the play area isn't real big or fancy, the boys seem to like it just fine.  The biggest downside is that there's no shade at all in the play area.

Frontier - We've only been to this park once and didn't stay long.  The play area looks like a pirate ship which is cool but it's located RIGHT next to the parking lot.  Anyone with triplets could have told the park designers that that was a bad idea.  Even with James and I both there with the boys, we were still chasing after them the whole time to make sure they didn't run into the parking lot.  No fun.

Franklin - This park is really cool.  They have a little creek the kids can dip their feet in.  There's lots to play on and they have a sandbox with trucks and stuff.  The boys seemed to really like.  The best park is that it's in Prairie Village and has tons of big tall trees that provide lots of shade.  Great for a hot day!  The biggest downside is that this park also gets very busy.  And it's kind of hard to keep my eye on all three boys at the same time.  Not the best park to go to by myself.  It's also a bit of a drive.

Leawood - I've been to this park a handful of times.  It's right off 435.  It's set away from the street/parking lot which again is a perk with three toddlers.  There is a smaller toddler size play set right next to a bigger one.  The boys often go back and forth between the two but if I stand in the middle, I can see them all at the same time.  It doesn't ever seem to be too busy which I like.  The biggest drawback to this park is that it's over 20 minutes away.

Sar Ko Par - This park in Lenexa has a bunch of different play areas, from what I've read.  I once drove through and the one I saw was right next to the parking lot, so I vowed never to take the boys there.  However, one morning I took the boys to Cedar Ridge Church for their open gym and we ended up walking down the path to a different play area in this park.  The play area closest to the church is nowhere near a street, so I like that.  It also has a triple slide, which is pretty cool when you're a triplet.  One of the drawbacks, like most other parks, is that there are only 2 toddler swings.

I'm making it my mission this fall to try out all the others that were mentioned.  It should be fun!

And now, some of my favorite park pictures of the boys:

Triplet slide at Sar Ko Par Park

Entering the pirate ship at Frontier Park

Exploring Dodge City at Antioch Park

Exploring the anatomy of a hippo at Brougham Park

Running around the castle at Black Bob Park

The Ashers Go to the Water Park

Last Saturday our multiples group had a pool party at The Bay Water Park.  I didn't initially plan on going since two of our three hate the pool.  But I had hopes that maybe just maybe we might have fun since they have a zero-entry pool there.  Our only other experience at a zero entry pool this summer was also our only positive pool experience.

Just a quick explanation of my children - Ollie is a water baby and for the most part enjoys being in the pool.  Nolan isn't a big fan but will eventually tolerate being in the pool.  Lucas screams and flails the second he sees the water and doesn't stop until we leave.  Poor guy.  For this reason, we've gone to the pool exactly 3 times this summer.  Well, four if you count our water park adventure.

Going into it, we knew this was an occasion to call in Auntie Lisa.  There are quite a few things we feel comfortable doing these days with just James and myself.  Swimming is not one of them.  

So we got there and...surprise surprise, Lucas started his screaming fit when we were in line.  Ollie and Nolan were just waiting so patiently, holding on to their handles.  It looked like our wait was going to be a few minutes, so James took Lucas over to a playground area for a bit to play/calm down.  Once we all got inside the screaming began again.  We tried to get all the boys to dip their toes in the water.  It was kind of chilly so none of them were all that interested.  James was with Lucas on the edge of the water and the next thing we knew, he was making a mad dash for the water slide.  He started climbing the steps when James caught up with him.  I figured James would grab him and take him away from the slide.  Instead, he just walked behind him as he climbed the flight up stairs up to the slide.  I thought he was crazy to think Lucas might actually go down the slide without flipping out.  But the two of them went down together and Lucas had a giant smile on his face the entire time.  As soon as he got out of the water, he ran for the slide again.  This time Daddy made Mommy go with him.  And for the next hour, Lucas and I went up the stairs and down the slide together a total of about 30 times (and I'm really not exaggerating).  It's too bad I didn't have my Fit Bit on, because I would have had lots of steps!  I couldn't believe how much our baby who HATES water LOVED this slide!  Nolan and Ollie went down a couple times with Daddy and Auntie Lisa. Ollie liked it, but not at all as much as Lucas did.  Nolan wasn't really a fan, though he tried it a couple times just to be sure he didn't like it.

Afterwards, we ate a little something then went out and played on the playground before heading home for bedtime!

Haircuts!

Last Friday we took the boys out on the deck and gave them haircuts.  This is the second time we've done haircuts on our own, and honestly, they look pretty decent.  Ollie doesn't really mind it much, but Nolan isn't a big fan and Lucas thrashes and cries and screams the entire time.  It's a lot easier to deal with these types of behaviors at home...not to mention, we appreciate not having to spend $50 every time our boys need haircuts.  So for now anyway, homemade haircuts are the way to go!

Silly boys

It's been a while since I've posted a video.  This is every mealtime for us. Such silly boys!

Fun Little Personalities

The older the boys get, the more and more we're starting to see their individual personalities.  It's fun. It's funny how alike yet different they all are.

Ollie is our charmer.  He's the most likely to go say hi to a complete stranger when we're out and about.  He LOVES cars and happens to be a great singer.  The kid can seriously carry a tune perfectly. He obviously did not get that from his daddy.  He's currently obsessed with the alphabet and we will often hear him singing his ABC's while laying in his crib.  He is getting really good at throwing and kicking a ball and would prefer to ride on a toy car rather than push it like his brothers. He prefers the slide at the playground, while his brothers prefer the swings.  And he is most definitely our water baby!

Nolan used to be our serious little guy.  He apparently has outgrown that.  This kid is just downright silly.  At any given time, he'll just look at you and start making silly faces.  He loves making animal sounds and of the three is our biggest reader.  I'm not exaggerating when I say we read 20-30 books everyday.  He doesn't like to keep his shoes on and we often have to put them on 2-3 times whenever we are trying to get out the door.  Nolan is really into "choo-choos" right now and loves watching airplanes fly overhead.  He's finally sleeping better but is still the most likely to fuss at bedtime and is often the first to rise.  I think he does this to get extra one-on-one time.

Lucas, of the three, is often the most likely to be playing on his own.  He likes to build with blocks and Legos.  He also really enjoys drawing on the magna-doodle.  He seems to get over-stimulated easily and often has trouble when we go out in public where there are lots of people.  He's not as advanced in his language development as his brothers, but rather speaks his own little language of "yabba-gabba-gibba".  He signs very well.  It sometimes takes him a while to warm up to people, but if he knows and trusts you, you will be showered with affection from him.  He's such a sweet little soul.

All three of them are very lovey.  They cuddle and give kisses often.  They are all pretty attached to their loveys (Ollie calls his "Yee-Yee" and Nolan and Lucas call theirs "Baby").  They all love to listen to music...particularly The ABC song, Wheels on the Bus, and The Itsy Bitsy Spider.

They are so fun to watch interact.  This age certainly comes with its challenges, but they are just so fun right now!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

James' birthday was on August 8th.  We decided that day that we wanted to do something fun as a family in the morning and then go out on a date...just the two of us that night.

I made him biscuits and gravy for breakfast then once we were done eating, we drove to Crown Center.  We walked around and took The Link over to Union Station to look around there.  We were going to eat at Fritz's but the line ended up being too long.  Instead, we just stopped and had Chick-fil-A.

Family photo

Walking through the link

Snack break!

Union Station

When we got home, we put the boys down for naps.  Auntie Lisa came over after naps to watch the boys so Mommy and Daddy could have some quality time together.  I had set up a Brew Crawl for James since he's so into beer right now.  We drove up to North KC and tasted some flights at Cinder Block Brewery and got some food truck food there. Then we went to Big Rip then over to Double Shift.  We popped into Grinders to have a slice of pizza then went over to the Waldo area to check out KC Bier Company.  We sat out on the biergarten and enjoyed the nice evening.  His friends Marco, Jared, and Matt met us there and I ended up coming home a little early to relieve Auntie Lisa of her babysitting duties.

It was a great well-balanced day full of family fun and also adult time!

Happy Birthday, Dakota!

Our adorable niece turned 2 on August 7th.  We had a great time at her birthday party.  She had a "letters and numbers" theme which the boys LOVED since they're obsessed with letters and numbers.  They had a whole lot of outdoor activities for the kids including a water slide that Ollie just loved.  It was a great day celebrating with great people.  Love this girl!

Dude!  Watch out!

Water slide!

Nolan playing at the water table

One of my all-time favorite pictures of Ollie

Team work!

Watching airplanes

Dakota opening her presents!