Everything Not so

10/31/06: Happy Halloween! First, the proud mommy moment: Kelli made the principal's honor roll this semester. She had some tough classes, including Honors Chemistry, and worked her butt off. Good job, Kel.

Another Halloween has come and gone and this year was even more fun than the last for the four little ones. We had 2 Raggedy Anns, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and because Max was afraid of his ninja turtle costume, he ended up being Buzz Lightyear, happily screaming "BEYOND!"

Since we have such a small neighborhood, the neighbors make an effort to hand out fistfuls of candy to the kids who come by. Our kids got some extra-special goody bags from one neighbor, and quite a few people told us they were looking forward to seeing our little bunch.

The kids scored a load of candy and were tired and sticky by the time we got home. Angus spent a few minutes inspecting his loot and then they were off to bed. What am I going to do when I don't have kids to take Trick or Treating?! They just have to stay little for as long as they can.

Speaking of... I told Angus the other day, "Buddy, take your time and grow slowly, please. Be a little boy as long as you need to." He responded with "I can't promise. I'm just growing every day." Precious moments.

We had another superbly perfect weekend. Loren and I took the wee ones to the St. Pete Pier. It was a gorgeous day! Angus disliked the stinky pelicans, but the rest thought they were fascinating. I'm still fascinated by Florida's wildlife. It's like living in the midst of a zoo.

Random observation: I find things every single day that fascinate me about multiples, and I learned another new something. Last week, I had to take Ruca to the doctor. I'd not been in a situation where I was out with just one of the little ones where they weren't strapped into a shopping cart.

I walked Ruca into the doctor, holding my hand (another new experience), and we sat to wait for her appointment. Ruca sat perfectly still, watching other children in the waiting room. During the appointment, she sat very quietly while she was examined. She sat quietly next to me while the doctor and I talked.

My first thought was, "wow, so this is what it would be like to just have a Ruca." My second thought was "wow, she's behaving so well." My third thought was "if her siblings were here..." Well, I know the rest of the third thought. If her siblings were there, Ruca would have been opening and closing doors, searching through cabinets, flipping switches, spinning chairs, ripping holes in the tissue-paper sanitary examining table cover, right along side of her triplet siblings. In short, I never would have seen the gentle side I was able to witness. Long story short, there's strength in numbers. There is an amazing "group think" that goes on with triplets. I can't explain it if you haven't been there, and if you've been there, you know. Weird.

Random cuteness: A conversation I had with Nadia about candy...

Me: "Nadia, would you like one?"
Nadia: "No. Two, three, four, five."

The concept of more, as in more than one or she has more than me is starting to sink in. Sibling rivalry should really start kicking in pretty soon. I can't wait. (Sarcasm)

10/21/06: Recouping from my drive-thru hysterectomy, I thought I'd take this opportunity to update my website. Loren, a.k.a. Super Dad, is out with the four little ones shopping (yes, he's shopping with all four alone) while I sit here exercising all of the self-control I can muster to keep myself from straightening up the house. It's tough. But, I'm in just enough pain that I would regret even picking up one Lego or stray sock. So, here I sit.

This past week has been tough - a week of changes. My oldest boy turned 18. Tough to believe. Kristi came the night before last and whisked Camryn away to St. Louis while I was out for my surgery. I didn't get to visit with Kristi for long, and I came home from the hospital to an infant-free house. Felt strange. Felt empty somehow - if that's possible in a house full of children. The kids were ever-so anxious to greet me when I got home, but I had to shield myself from the approaching stampede as I walked in the door. Cautious hugs were all they got.

Last week I was reflecting on the impending loss of my uterus. I began to feel like I've overly-defined myself by my uterus - having been the bearer of children for nearly 21 years. I was beginning to mourn the loss of the ability to bear a child. Weird, I know. I have seven. What more do I want?! But, nonetheless, I felt as though part of my motherhood would be stripped of me when I had my hysterectomy. I prayed for a new sense of perspective if I was going to truly make peace with my hysterectomy.

God said, "You want perspective, do you?" Well, that perspective came like a blast of cold air at my pre-op appointment on Tuesday. As I sat in the waiting area at the hospital, a woman who recognized me from the doctor's office struck up a conversation with me. She was a sweet bubbly friendly lady who looked to be about my age (30-something). She, too, was going to have a hysterectomy. After a short conversation, the topic of fertility treatment came up. She told me that she had undergone several fertility treatments and tried in vain to become pregnant. My heart broke at that very moment for her. She was never going to know the feeling of carrying a child. I prayed that she wouldn't ask me if I had children. She didn't.

Anyway, I sat there with a lump in my throat. I was beating myself up for feeling the slightest bit mournful over my impending loss, and then was called into the nurse's office for a pre-op interview. The nurse was the most naturally beautiful 48-year-olds I have ever seen (looked half her age). Kind and soft-spoken, she went over my medical history (including my past pregnancies). Of course, the subject of triplets came up. Her jaw dropped, eyes widened, and she asked to see pictures. I showed her the picture of all of my children I keep at the ready on a keychain. Then she told me "You are so lucky. God never did bless me with a child." What could I say. Any reservations I had about losing my uterus dissolved right then and there. I have been blessed. Enough said.

More rambling... Loren is now home with the little ones. I've been on and off of the computer all afternoon. Wish I could help get them in for their naps. I don't dare try. Kelli's going to her homecoming tonight. Loren's making an emergency trip up to CVS to buy a disposable camera. Our digital camera died, but I NEED pictures!

New short video clip: Drug Awareness Spoof.

10/3/06: Where do I start?! My brain is mush. Caring for three two-year-olds, one three-year-old and a three-month-old has my head spinning. But, life is NOT boring. As soon as this triplet fog rises, I'll post some better updates.

This week, my mother-in-law not only got to witness her first toddler tantrum in triplicate, but she participated as well. Wow! I had hoped that during my in-laws visit that they wouldn't show their dark side, but alas, it was inevitable. Getting ready for a bath, Max pulled off a poopy diaper and then started to throw a fit. Meanwhile, I was in the bathroom getting the water going. The frenzy went from zero to sixty to fever pitch while one of the girls wailed because she wasn't naked yet. The other one, joining in, wailed because she was naked and wanted her bath. Max wailed because he wanted to take off running with poop all over his butt, and Angus took off into the bathroom leaving the door open enabling all of the kids to make a mad dash for the tub. Meanwhile, the water was running and I was scrambling like mad to find wipes for Max's messy 9-1-1. My poor mother-in-law had to fight to keep Max from throwing himself down onto the floor which would have been horrible! And, Max is a heavy guy. It's hard to remember the love-filled quiet moments that remind me just why I love being a mom when all hell breaks loose. Thank God, those times are staggered.

I took my granddaughter in for her 2-month check up today. She's on the 90th percentile in growth. She's going to be bigger than her mom, who's 5' 1".

Kelli has her first performance tonight in chorus. She's singing a duet part in a song with another girl and also in a trio. She was going to do a solo, but she needs to get her feet wet on stage first so she'll be more comfortable singing solo in the future. She's got a great voice.

Angus is just a doll right now. So sweet. If only he could stay this age forever! Four-years-old is my favorite age ever!

There's a new page of my favorite triplet family links. I plan to add more as I have time. New pictures of my granddaughter on her page. I'm currently working on a 2-year-old tribute to my terrific trio and that should be up by their birthday. More stuff will follow, as time permits.

9/17/06: What do you get when you put three toddlers on leashes and load them up for an hour-and-a-half long train ride? Lots of fun and loads of stares. We took the four little ones to a train museum for a nice open-air train ride on Saturday. I'm not sure I even noticed the scenery for trying to keep track of the kids. They were pretty good, but thank God for leashes. They'd have gone right over the ledge. On a side note, they were filming for a Bay News 9 story about the train museum, and as we were leaving and loading up the kids in the car, the film crew came by and asked the "are they triplets?" question. I was NOT going to unload the trio just so that they could get a couple of shots of our tangled-up leash-bound trio, but they asked if they could interview Loren. He agreed, and I believe they aired the story, but we'll never know. We don't get the station. I did find the article online, however. Here's the article.

Favorite phrases: No. Let go! Go away! I dropped it. Uh-oh! Open please (which just sounds like Applebees). And, Ruca refers to the playground as the "me-ground." She's all about Ruca!

Thought for the moment: Fast approaching the terrible twos with our trio, I find the task of managing them much less daunting if I take it one minute at a time.

9/10/06: I just clipped 50 fingernails in a row! I could start a collection! Just another something I never imagined I'd be doing.

Well, I won't be adding any new pictures for a little while. Last night while bathing the little ones in a tub full of bubbles, I had the camera close by on the counter. I imagined it was far enough away from the little people and their splashing, but I hadn't anticipated that Ruca would shimmy up the side of the tub, climb on the counter and pull the camera in the water in a split second. The camera hit the water for a fraction of a second as I jerked it out. As it came out of the water, it swung away from me and smacked Ruca between the eyes. From then on, it was downhill. Loren ran to the rescue, as I had screaming and crying from everyone - crying's infectious in this house. It was pandemonium. SO, our camera is dead. I take about 20 pictures a day (or more) so I don't know what I'll do without it!

Here's a little video of Angus and Camryn for your viewing pleasure. Loren's arms were under him the whole time. He's the best uncle!

Watch Angus sing Rock-a-bye Baby to Camryn.

Spent a good weekend with the family celebrating Loren's birthday. It's always chaos, but always memorable. Having Camryn here has served to remind us that our children are high-energy, high-maintenance kids. She's a doll. Easiest baby I've ever seen.

9/4/06: Labor Day, ironically, was anything but labor. We spent a wonderful day at the zoo with the 4 little ones. Camryn was with Kelli visiting her other grandparents for the weekend, so our load was light (relatively speaking). We even ventured into the petting zoo with the goats, which was a huge hit. Wonderful day!

You can see by the picture on the left that Max and Angus have new haircuts. Completely unintentional crew cuts, they were. It was awful. I intended to give them each a trim, but forgot the attachment on the shaver and began to buzz Max. One second too late, I realized with horror just what I had done. Angus then wanted to be just like Max and Loren, so he got a crew cut, too. Thank God it grows out.

8/29/06:

THAT'S RIGHT! No fun allowed. No markers for wall art. No chairs for climbing on the counter. No easy-access oven door. No rummaging through the the hall closet in search of a broom, swiffer, or other object easily converted into a weapon. No more Mr. Nice Mom!

Just when I thought we'd reached the pinnacle in our babyproofing days, we've once again reached new heights. It's an exercise in humility - resorting to creative babyproofing ideas we've never considered. Bars across the closet door, pak-n-plays bolted down, chairs on our countertops. Next, we're going to have to try the all-plexiglass-room for the babies. The sides will be greased so they don't scale the walls and hurt themselves. I'm dating myself, but do you remember the show "Wild Kingdom" - we could have featured.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger... we'll I guess Loren and I make Popeye look like a weakling. I see the look on our nanny's face when she walks into our house - it's the look of "Oh, my good God, what are they unleashing on the world?" Yes, it's true folks. Our children are out of control. But, so much fun most of the time that I don't really want this stage to end. It's like being on the best rollercoaster in the best theme park in the world. You feel very strongly like you're going to throw up, but you just don't want the ride to end. Yes, that's exactly what it feels like!

Okay, enough of the personal therapy. On to the life-details. Camryn's coming tomorrow. I can't wait! Within my limits, I'm going to spoil that baby rotten. We're keeping her for perhaps a month so Kristi can relocate to California. SO, I'll have one 3-year-old, three nearing-2-year-olds, and a 2-month-old. Am I insane? Probably.

Kevin started his first week at USF in the honors program. He's truly going to do something wonderful with his life. I'm sure of it. Gifted thoughtful boy that he is, I'm so proud.

Kelli's in honors classes in her school and trying so very hard this year. I'm so happy to see how seriously she's taking her schooling. I'm hoping that teenage hormones don't threaten to interrupt such a good thing.

Angus is just about done with this year's swimming lessons. He's a super swimmer now. We're moving onto thoughts of preschool. He's ready. I'm not sure I want to let go of my boy again. But, I think putting him in a plastic bubble may be illegal, so what choice have I got?

New revised version of Max as BUCKETHEAD here and a new longer chronicle of video madness is coming soon. I'm excited about this one!

8/20/06: How can I cram into a few short paragraphs all that it would take to explain how gloriously insane our lives are right now?! I'll try...

Loren and I had the brilliant idea that we could somehow, on our own, take the 4 little ones to a pool and then to the beach. We packed up towels, sun block, snacks and kids with lofty aspirations of enjoying some splishing and splashing with the little ones - a welcome change from our stagnant routine. Visions swam in my head of the two little girls and two little boys splashing and giggling, bobbing up and down in the water in their little swim-vests. Wow, what a reverie!

Not how it played out, however. After 10 minutes of unpacking, dressing babies in thier swim diapers, dressing the kids in their swim-vests, slathering them with sun block, and trips to the restroom, we made it out to the pool. It was obvious just about 30-seconds after we dipped ourselves in the pool, that we needed more hands or fewer babies. Ruca was trying to head off in her own direction. Max wanted out. Nadia was clingy, and Angus just wanted to sit on the steps. Onlookers stared with either fascination or horror while we struggled to keep control of the four slippery maniacs. We laughed our way through about five minutes with them in the pool and reluctantly called it quits. Next time we'll bring a few extra people along.

Though our pool time was a total wash, we did enjoy a few wonderful, albeit short, minutes at the beach and got some fabulous Thai food as carryout. I'd do the whole trip all over again in a heartbeat. It's all about the memories, isn't it?

Language skills are exploding this past week or so. Our tyrannical trio can speak a few full sentences now, and it's increasingly easier to understand what they're trying to say. I love it!

Angus has been wowing us with his profound observations as of late. He's announced to us, very matter-of-factly, "fish don't wear shoes," and "skeleton's don't have wieners," and other such fascinating facts. He's very literal right now. We have to watch what we say... "That really kicks butt," translates into "okay, kick my butt." Loads of fun.

Kevin is off in South Carolina right now, taking a last-minute roadtrip before he starts USF. Kelli's itching to take a road-trip to anywhere - even a convenience store - right now so she can start using her learner's permit. And, Kristi's out in California right now with her little family. For some reason, I can't talk her into sending my granddaughter, Camryn, down for a few weeks. Darn!

I've made a few short videos that I've been trying in vain to complete. Glitchy program. A few more attempts and I should have them up and running. Very soon...

8/9/06: "Good Lord! Look at that!" That was the latest reaction to the babies when we were out today. The shouts of amazement are still tough to deal with, but there are times when I, myself, feel like saying "Good Lord! Look at that!" in response to seeing them all getting into trouble at home.

Latest antics include, but are not limited to... climbing on the kitchen table and digging in the houseplants, climbing onto the kitchen counter and playing in the sink, drawing on the walls with crayons, darting into the bathroom and dunking toys in the toilet before I can get to them. Believe me, they are fast. They have an agenda. And, they seem to have found every chink in my armor. Absolutely incredible to see them in action.

We've moved our little wrecking crew into their new room, much to their dismay. We had only one rough night with them. Thankfully, they have each other, so we don't feel too sorry for them. And since they're zipped into their crib tents, the freedom to roam isn't an option, so they fall asleep pretty quickly.

Speaking of freedom to roam... Kelli got her learner's permit yesterday. SCARY! I would have thought that by the time #3 rolled around to getting a permit, I'd be a little less nervous about it. Nope! I'm not sure what we're going to do when we have 4 teenagers driving. Yikes!

7/29/06: Life has never been crazier than it is right now. We're heading full-speed into the "totally-twos," or what I like to call "a sneak preview into the teen years." These kids are BUSY! But, so far we're keeping up.

I'm not going to kid myself. Sometimes they're TOO crazy for me. Guess that's where Angus picked up the phrase, "Give me a break." Around dinnertime each day, things get crazy, and I tell them "okay, you guys have to give me a little break, here." A bit overwhelming at times.

Max said his first real sentence today. "I need apple." Ruca and Nadia can say quite a few things including "go bye-bye car outside" and they all scream "deen-deen-deen" (dinner) when it's dinner time as they run for their little dinner table. SO CUTE! They do seem to share each other's pronunciation of words. So if one mispronounces, they all do.

Angus is just a really nice little boy right now. I have always said 4-years-old is one of my favorite ages to enjoy a child. Agreeable, willing-to-please, helpful, silly, curious about the world, etc. I intend to enjoy every single moment with this little guy. Time just goes by too quickly.

Speaking of kids growing too quickly, my big baby boy, Kevin, is out in California right now - probably doing some dangerous 4-wheeling, even as I type this. I haven't heard from him, but he's in the capable hands of his grandpa so I'll have to trust that they're keeping each other safe.

Camryn is three-weeks-old now, and I'm dying to get out to see her. Kelli's still enjoying spending time out in Illinois with Kristi and Camryn and I wish so badly I were there, too. It's so exciting hearing about Kristi's sleep-deprived experience with motherhood. Strange sharing motherhood with my daughter - strange, but good.

My wonderful husband has been working at break-neck speed to get the babies' room done. Another week or so, and they'll be ready to move in. Other construction projects follow, like the completion of our new Florida room, and another bedroom. It just never ends.

NEW PAGE: I'm creating a new page of books that pertain to parents of multiples. It's going to be a work-in-progress for a while.

7/22/06: We're so busy right now and I haven't had the time to update the website. Here's a little update.

We're about half-way to completion of booting our troublesome tenants from the room adjacent to ours. Our trio is getting ready to take the plunge to another bedroom, at last! We're knee-deep in paneling and painting right now. I love it!

Kristi is doing well and working through the adjustment into parenthood. Camryn rolled from her belly to her back today. Kristi was shocked. Of course, I wasn't shocked. All of my offspring are brilliant, so it stands to reason that the offspring of my offspring will be the same.

Kelli is such a great help. She's out staying with Kristi and waking with Camryn so Kristi can continue to recover from anemia and her c-section. What a terrific aunt Camryn has!

Kevin's getting ready to take an off-roading trip with his Grandpa (Loren's dad) next week in his new Rubicon. Loren's dad is a real dare-devil and should give Kevin quite a thrilling experience. I hope they take lots of pictures, so I can post some.

We went to the zoo this morning and took our choo-choo wagon, and just like in my book, we wondered if it was the animals or if we were the main attraction. We did see another set of triplets (identical boys) and lots and lots of twins. So we weren't getting all of the attention, thankfully.

We had a friend over with her kids today. She's got a set of twins who are close in age to Angus. The kids really enjoyed the company. I was amazed at how well-behaved everyone was.

Potty-training is in our not-too-distant future. Max uses the potty as though he's always done it. Ruca and Nadia still don't have a clue. We did take out the potties, out of curiosity and they seemed to enjoy the idea. I think we'll wait until after they hit 2-years-old to dive into that challenge.

We're still waiting on our new addition to our house. We haven't heard from the contractors lately. I'm getting anxious to get our new Florida room and new guest room done.

Our little ones continue to grow by leaps and bounds and I wish, sometimes, when the madness is at a minimum, that they would slow down just a little.

7/13/06: Home again. I'm back from St. Louis, and it appears that it's business as usual here at home. The babies really missed me. Likewise, I missed them tremendously, but it's like I never left and I've returned to being submerged in the madness.

As you can see on the Everything Camryn page, my granddaughter, Camryn's here. Kristi was such a trooper. From the time she first knew she was in labor until she delivered, nearly 24 hours had passed. Poor Kristi - the doctors never quite got the epidural right and she felt the c-section. What a nightmare for her. But, thankfully that part is history. Camryn's home with her mom and dad, and she gave them 7 1/2 hours of sleep last night. How wonderful!

The babies continue to astound me with their development and fascinate me with the wonders that only multiples share. Their level of empathy, compassion, group-think, camaraderie is amazing to witness. I feel so lucky to have this experience.

One cute observation: Ruca and Nadia usually wear matching clothes. Yesterday, I had to change Nadia and when Ruca saw that Nadia was wearing somethig different, she immediately began screaming, tugging at her clothes. It wasn't until she got on the matching outfit that finally felt satisfied and went on her way. Really funny.

Strange comments even without the babies around: Today Angus and I were at Wal Mart. Angus takes every opportunity to tell strangers that he has "triblets" at home. He announced very proudly to the lady in front of us that he has triplets, and she replied "oh, you poor thing." Poor guy didn't quite know how to react. Then she turned to me and said "Poor mommy!" Loads of responses came to my mind, none of which I could share in front of Angus. Then she followed with "I had twins 24 years ago. They were trouble then, and they're still giving me trouble." My only response to her was "I really enjoy my children." I tell you, the thoughtlessness of strangers baffles my mind.

7/7/06: Still no baby. Kristi is such a trooper - nearly 41 weeks pregnant, and not a complaint out of her. We spent yesterday at the St. Louis zoo and we did a lot of walking, and Kristi kept up with every step. Such a strong young woman.

We're still waiting for any sign. She's 1 cm dilated and holding, but much like her mom, Kristi's body's not willing to give up the baby without a fight. I just hope I'm here when she arrives. We'll see...

6/26/06: Time draws closer to my becoming a grandmother. I'll be in St. Louis this time next week. I can't wait to meet Camryn!

We took the Angus and the babies to the first-ever successful portrait session today. The fact that it was a beach scene complete with real sand and shells made it "easier," and I use that term loosely because NOTHING is easy with four little ones so close in age. But, these are the moments that become memories. When we get the pictures back, there's sure to be a copy on my website.

The babies continue to develop by leaps and bounds. They see letters on anything and they start reciting the alphabet, though not precisely "letters" but they have the tune down. Max can count to five, but only when he feels like it. Nadia said her first real sentence yesterday - "go bye-bye car." Ruca continues to shine as the most outgoing of all of them, singing, dancing, talking, etc. They are SO much fun right now.

Angus just finished up his swimming lessons and is now able to jump into the deep end of a pool and turn around and swim underwater to the side of the pool. Great strides with only 4 weeks of swimming lessons. We're starting another session of lessons next month.

New movies and a new webpage called "Wit, Wisdom and Run-on Sentences" coming soon.

6/19/06: Our household is still under siege by some mysterious stomach virus. Everyone seems just fine one minute and the vomit is flowing the next. Fun stuff. It can't last forever... we hope.

Father's Day was fun and uneventful. Being the World's Best Dad comes easily to Loren, so spending the day with the kids on Sunday was business as usual.

I never understood, before I had the triplets, the observation that life doesn't get easier with multiples as they get older, just different. I completely understand now. We traded bottles for sippy cups; the exhaustion of waking many times nightly, to the exhaustion of chasing busy toddlers all day; changing dirty diapers round the clock, to cleaning spills, clutter, crayon marks, juice spills, cracker crumbs, etc., round the clock. It's not easier - just different. I get it now.

Kristi feels a bit like a timebomb waiting to explode right now. I am so anxious to meet my new granddaughter. I even have a page on this website poised and ready to be filled with pictures and info. Sad thing is, I'll blink and she'll be blowing out her first birthday candle.

6/14/06: The time has come. My granddaughter will make her grand appearance, God willing, on June 30th. It still has not hit me that I am old enough to be someone's grandma. But, so be it. And I can't wait to hold her!

We're battling a pretty stubborn virus in the house right now. We've all taken turns being incapacitated. I've changed my share of sheets and clothes for each one of the kids and it's not over yet. Thankfully, if there is anything to be thankful about illness, is that the kids have staggered their sickness. One at a time is a bit more manageable than 4 at once. Even I got hit with this one. I'm grateful I was in line and Loren didn't have a sick wife and sick kids to deal with at the same time.

6/10/06: We're phasing out the high chairs now. It's tough going. The babies still can't sit for very long at a table so it's a new challenge at mealtime. Wow, I just called them "the babies." I imagine that they'll be off to school in a few years, and we'll still be calling them "the babies."

Speaking of... the babies are at an adorable age right now. Our leader, Ruca, calls everyone and everyone comes running. She even calls herself. "Wuca, Yaya, Dats, Angee!" Max was counting cardboard bricks this morning. Deliberately placing one on top of the other and counting, one, two, three. He can go up to five. Nadia's getting a little temper on her and catches herself after hitting someone and offers up a kiss. They're big on saying "thank you" now, and even "please," occasionally. They're really turning into little people now.

I just put a new video on youtube.com. You can find it on my Movies page here. Speaking of movies, my I'm No Supermom video got the blessing of none-other-than Lazlo Bane himself. He's the singer of I'm No Superman, on my video and from the TV show, Scrubs. How cool is that!

6/4/06: Week 3, I think it is, without a dishwasher. We are the ultimate wasteful consumers this week, using paper plates, cups, plastic silverware, etc. Less than a week to go before we get our new one. I can't wait.

Our new building is nearing completion, but not without many headaches. It's been a true learning experience. We're in the permit phase of our new addition to our house. I'm hoping it will be a much smoother process this time around.

Speaking of projects nearing completion, our new granddaughter, Camryn, will be making her appearance in a few weeks. Kristi is deep in her nesting phase right now, uncomfortable, and ready to meet her new miracle.

My video project Triplets and Instant Celebrity has caused quite a stir, both positively and negatively, being discussed on forums and websites across the globe. It's amazing to see how small this world truly is now, with the internet. My favorite saying has always been "we mock what we don't understand." So true. Those who can't understand the feelings I expressed in the video never will. I just have to accept that.

5/30/06: Just got back from Animal Kingdom. To say we had a relaxing time would be completely wrong. To say we had a great time - yes, we did. I don't think Disney with one 3-year-old and three 1-year-olds could ever be easy. And it wasn't. But it was definitely memorable.

I'm still convinced Disney has it in for triplet families. We went to the Bug's Life 3-D movie thing. There's a point in line where you can't have strollers. Well, they're not taking triplet parents into consideration. We had Angus and 3 little ones on leashes to guide through the 30+ minute long wait in a long line. It was hot and they were out of control. I don't think anything, after that, will ever seem like a challenge again. They were out of control, falling, crying, going in different directions. I know the people around us thought we were crazy. We were. But, in the end, the little ones did okay for the Bug's Life thing. I do think that Disney should be more accommodating for special circumstances, however.

We also went to Old Town and Downtown Disney and had a great time there. Kelli and her friend got to ride the world's tallest SkyCoaster. It looked terribly scary. I got some video clips but no pictures.

5/23/06: I survived Kevin's graduation without making a scene. Yippee! That's not to say I didn't have the uncontrollable urge to run down onto the stage and wrap my arms around the boy. College bound! To see the tribute to Kev, check out his page. And, to the left is a picture of my terribly not-so-artistic attempt at combining two of Kevin's favorites - gingerbread and jelly beans as a graduation treat. So awful, but it tasted great. Hard to even tell it's supposed to be a graduation cap.

5/19/06: Well, it's midnight at the hospital where I'm staying to help care for my mom in her gall bladder surgical recovery. All is well and so I'm taking a few minutes to update this website.

Angus is coming right along with increasing his vocabulary. It's such a shame that I have to correct him when when he misspeaks. Some of the things he says are just a whole lot cuter the way he says it. For example, which would you prefer... to go to the tangled gardens and eat chicken maggots... or... to go to the botanical gardens and eat chicken nuggets. It's hard not to let him go on like that. It's SO cute!

I went to Walmart on my own this morning with the babies. I think I've conquered my fear of that place. Sunglasses, unapproachable face, eyes forward. It wasn't so bad. Only one Walmart worker blocked my path as she stopped to ask about the babies. As I struggled to get past her with the big stroller and the shopping cart, she said "Looks like you're struggling with that thing." No, lady, I wasn't struggling, just politely trying to get you to move on. Overall, a successful trip.

Two more days till Kevin's graduation. So bitter-sweet. And just a few more week's till Kelli's out for the summer. And just a few weeks after that Kristi's baby will arrive. Loads of things to look forward to.

5/16/06: My camera card, for the second time this month, decided to go bad on me and corrupted the pictures. I had a great couple of shots of the babies helping me with the fireplace cleanup. You can imagine the help that 19-month-old babies can give. I lost several other really nice pictures as well.

Angus has his first preschool cold. Knew it would happen. And so it will follow that everyone else in the house will catch it soon. C'est la vie.

LATEST OBSERVATIONS:

What's so great about triplets?! There are so many things, but the latest thing I find that I love about watching these three little people is the interaction.

Lately, when one is not present in the room, Round-up Ruca will call for the missing triplet. "DAS!," she'll scream, which is "Max." Or, "Yaya!" for Nadia. She seeks them out until she finds them.

They each have their own security blanket/teddy bear and if one sees the blanket or bear on the floor, they know exactly to whom to bring it.

They kiss each other, give hugs to each other, play "I'm going to get you" with one another until they're all running in circles around the house squealing with glee not knowing who's getting who.

They each learn their own ways of saying words, but they seem to pick up on the others' ways - right or wrong - sort of creating their own group way of saying things. Ruca and Max started out by saying "All done" but Nadia could only say "dee dah" for all done. Now they all want to say "Dee Dah."

What an incredible gift they are!

5/9/06: Angus had his second day of school today. The separation anxiety was awful - on my part. Painful, really. And, the first bit of information I learned about his experience was that he met a boy who "had yellow snot and kept going like this (sniff)." GREAT, huh? Might as well send my kids up to the supermarket to lick the shopping cart handles. But germs will happen.

Graduation is upon us, speaking of separation anxiety. My big baby boy has just a few more days. I'll cry if I think about it.

Not much else new. Went to Dinosaur World and had a good time. The little ones are tough to keep contained right now.

Going on a date tonight with my man. He had a great time in Moab. Now it's time for him to play catch-up with me and catch-up with work. Speaking of his work, a producer is making a movie about his client and there will be an actor playing the part of Loren. Loren's requested Brad Pitt, but I think they want someone more dynamic. That's such exciting news!

4/19/06: The stress level in our home has reached a new high this week, I think. We've been kicked into overdrive with all that's happening lately. Getting ready for Loren's trip to Moab, Utah, Kevin's prom and graduation, Kelli's military ball, gathering things to send to Kristi for the baby, and chasing after the little group is wearing us all out.

On Monday, Kevin, Kelli and I took Angus and the babies to the mall to search for a suit for prom for Kevin and a dress for Kelli's military ball. Success in both departments, but just as satisfying was that we received NOT ONE negative comment from anyone about the babies. Gobs of curious onlookers, but who can resist seeing such an adorable trio, but everyone was very upbeat. Nice change.

For all who had expressed concern and sent prayers my father's way, thank you. He's awaiting the lab results to see if he'll need any further treatment. It's a tense time, but everyone continues to remain positive and upbeat.

4/10/06: We went to a local Scottish festival this past weekend with my in-laws, nieces, Kristi and the wee ones. Angus always sports his kilt and we usually spend some time eating haggis and watching the Highland games. This year, I spent much of it chasing after one kid or another until Max vomited all over himself. That was our signal to leave. I'm still glad we went.

Loads to report. I'll start at the top and work my way down...

Kristi just left a few days ago. Had a great visit with her. It was made even better by the ultrasound we got to see of her baby, Camryn. It's a unique feeling, watching my daughter experience motherhood for the first time. She's WAY cuter than I was when I was pregnant.

Kevin just ordered his cap and gown. I get tears already thinking about his upcoming graduation. He's gotten several scholarships, has a 5.7 grade point average and is in the top 10 in his class. The next big thing besides his senior prom will be transitioning into USF. He'll still only be 17 years old when he starts in the fall.

Kelli just returned from Parris Island, the Marine's boot camp training facility in South Carolina. She had to eat, sleep, and train just like the Marine recruits. She fired an M16 and did nearly all of the obstacle courses. She said it was loads of fun. Next year, she wants me to go with her. I'd LOVE to!

Angus and the babies continue on their thrill-seeking missions to destroy the house from floor to ceiling, but I have a feeling that their maddening pace is beginning to slow. THANKFULLY. We'll see. Perhaps it's just the calm before the storm.

For all who want to offer up a prayer, I'll be spending the day with my mother while we wait for my father to have surgery to remove a malignant melanoma. It's very large, so we have no idea what systemic involvement it may have. Please check yourself, your best friend, your spouse, your parents and your kids for abnormal moles regularly. It could save their lives.

4/3/06: Another great weekend. Yesterday, Angus had his first-ever canoe trip on a river close to our house. It was a 4-hour trip. We enjoyed it immensely Poor Kelli had to take care of the babies. I think they really wore her out.

Kristi's here visiting for a week. Her belly's grown quite a bit. She is so much cuter than I was when I was pregnant. I'll post a picture of her sometime soon.

My book is here, as you may have noticed. I haven't gotten a copy yet and I'm reluctant to let anyone know it's out until I get to look it over in person, but I thought, what's the harm. So, I put a link to the site where you can buy one. They're charging a bit too much for the book for my liking, but I don't get to make that call. I plan to sell them on my own at a discount when I get a supply. We'll see how it goes.

Archived "What's New" entries can be found here.