The Pollard Triplets!

It is so hard to obey!

2011-05-26T23:47:00.010-05:00

As you can imagine, we spend a lot of time talking to our kids about making good choices. We talk about the fact that bad choices have consequences and how good it feels to make good choices; how proud we are of them when they obey us and how happy it makes God when we obey Him.

The other morning, William and I were in my closet as I was picking out my suit for work ... and here is the conversation:

William: I try to obey but it is so hard Mommy.
Me: I know William. Mommy and Daddy have to obey God too and I know it is hard sometimes. But you know what?
William: What?
Me: When you are having a hard time making good choices, if you just stop and talk to God and ask Him, He will help you obey.
William (just looks at me--it is obvious he is thinking)
Me: The Bible tells us that all things are possible thru God
William: All things?
Me: Yes, we can do anything or be anything with God's help
William: (after a long pause) Can I be a mermaid?
Me: No. Mermaids are not real.

How can a 4 year old think that quickly on his feet? I have told this story a few times to different friends and everyone thinks it is so funny. I, however, am amazed at his ability to test what I am telling him at such a young age. I think we are going to be in trouble as he gets older!

William is all boy. He is rough and rowdy and loud. He loves to play rough and we often have to caution him not to hurt others. He plays really well with older kids and that works nicely with his desire to play rough as the older kids can take it better than kids his own age. He is warm and affectionate and loves to give kisses and hugs. He is handsome (in that Abercrombie way) and has the most wonderful head of hair. And he is smart. Really, really smart.

Once again, God knew what he was doing! William is that daily reminder to me that God is so good. With all of the premie complications he had, for him to be so perfect and for all of his premie "stuff" to have healed without medication or medical intervention, he is somewhat of a little miracle!

Oh, and did I mention that he is in a phase right now where he detests having his picture taken? So, the best picture I have of him recently is one of him and Addison. So here you go!

Good Mommy

2011-05-22T20:10:00.001-05:00

Addison is very into "girls night out." The last two girls-night-outs that I went on were actually at our house with some good friends from church. Since it was at our house, Addison got to stay with me while Al took the boys over to a friends house to hang-out.

So, my little girl has been asking for months when our next girls-night-out would be. So we planned one for this past Friday night at my friend Alice's house. Here was our conversation on the ride over:

A: I might have 5 babies. Or 7 babies. Or maybe 10 babies.
Me: I think you will make a great Mommy Addison
A: I know
Me: Really? Why do you think you will make a great Mommy?
A: Because I'm gonna give my babies whatever they want.
Me: Is that what Daddy and I do?
A: Kinda
Me: Does Mommy and Daddy give you everything you want?
A: Well, (long pause) Daddy doesn't, but Mommy does.
Me: Silence and then laughter

Reality: I do not always give her what she wants ... but I often do. She does have me twisted around her little finger. She is a sweet, lovely little girl who wants to please her Mom and Dad. She is often bossy and says that she is in charge of "the brothers."

She thrives on one-on-one time ... especially with Mommy and loves to be with me whatever I am doing ... even if I am just taking off my make-up after a day in the office. She is beautiful, both inside and out. And we have spent a lot of time talking to her about how much more important it is to be beautiful on the inside than the outside.

And she is a little shy. So hard for me to understand as I don't think I have ever had that problem. She takes a little while to warm up to people. But when you have won her trust, she is warm and loving, funny and kind.

I could not have asked God for a more perfect little girl and I think she will be a good Mommy one day!

Did he just say Peter Parker?

2011-02-02T10:00:00.000-06:00

The kids are really into super hereos. Jackson is a Spiderman guy ... William prefers Batman ... and Addison is SuperGirl. For a while, we were letting them watch some episodes of Batman and Spiderman on NetFlix. Until we decided that they really were not great content for 4 year olds ...

During the short time they were watching Spiderman and Batman, they learned their real names ... Peter Parker and Bruce Banner. For a time, the boys would even pretend that they were Peter Parker and Bruce Banner.

One Sunday in church, our preacher was telling a story about another member of our congregation ... Buddy Parker. As soon as he said Buddy Parker's name, Addison's eyes got big and she leaned over and said, "Did he just say Peter Parker?"

She must have asked me at least 10 times if Peter Parker was at church with us that day! She was very disappointed to learn that it was Buddy Parker ... and Buddy Parker was pleased to hear he had been mistaken for Spiderman!

Birmingham Parent Magazine

2010-11-11T19:31:00.001-06:00

Sometime last spring, I entered the kids in the Birmingham Parent Magazine cover kids contest. I sent a picture in, filled out a form and promptly forgot about it. In early August, we were contacted and told that we were in the top 5 finalist for the "multiples" category! While that was exciting news ... what I wasn't too excited about was that the winners would be determined by an on-line vote.

At this point, I figured that since we were a finalist, we should at least show up to have our picture taken. Little did I know that I would love the photographer ... Amanda Traywik. We had done our job well ... meaning we had adequately bribed the kiddos! They were promised two things if they behaved, obeyed us and the photographer, and looked at the camera and smiled ....

1. their own fruit roll-up (these are 3 feet long and we usually make them share :) )
2. a ride on the carousel at the mall

And, needless to say, it worked. The photographer was amazed that we were in and out in under 10 minutes. The kiddos did EVERYTHING that they were asked to do ... and they had BEAUTIFUL, natural smiles! All-in-all, once I saw the final picture, I decided that win or not, it was all worth the picture!

This picture is definitely in my list of top 3 favorite pics of them of all time! And, as an added bonus, we were given a free 5X7 of the picture. Now, we need to get in touch with Amanda and purchase some additional copies for family for Christmas.

Oh, and we were notified last week that we won our category! So, sometime next year, we will do another photo shoot (that will again be discussed with the kids weeks ahead of time and will have special ~~bribes~~ rewards for good behavior). With any luck, we will end up with another great photo of the kiddos ... and it will be on the cover of the Birmingham Parent Magazine!

Thanks to all who voted for us!

Quenta

PS ... don't you think this is an EXCELLENT picture of the kids?

Chocolate Cake

2010-10-14T18:40:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I had a craving for chocolate cake. When I was a kid, I was in 4-H and one of the activities that I participated in was baking. I used to bake --from scratch-- a lot when I was younger ... well, honestly, right up until the time we had kids ... OK, maybe not a lot but some! Since then, the only thing I've baked came from a box (not that the amazing , triple-chunk brownies Al makes are bad :) )

So, I decided that I would make a chocolate cake this past weekend ... from scratch. I remembered that when I was baking as a kid, my favorite chocolate cake was a chocolate mayonaise cake. So, with the help of google, I found a receipe and made my cake.

It was good! Not as good as the chocolate cake at my friend Laura's wedding ... but good nonetheless. The icing was GREAT! I made a chocolate, butter-cream icing from scratch as well. Next time I'll double the receipe for that! Now, needless to say the cake was enjoyed by all ... and was a treat for the kiddos.

One night, after dinner, we gave each of the kids a small slice. Addison and William quickly ate theirs. Jackson, as usual, took his time. All of a sudden, he spit out something dark and hard. Definitely not cake. Al and I looked at him and looked at it ... and he said, "I got Chocolate on my Bubble Gum."

He had been eating the cake without taking the gum out of his mouth! Did I mention the kids are really into gum right now?

Quenta

The end of an era

2010-08-31T22:05:00.001-05:00

Well, we have reached that age ... the age where you can't really sneak anything by them. It is the end of an era ... a good era. But, I'm sure the beginning of a new one that is just as good!

The other night we were at the kitchen table after dinner. Jackson had been having some ear problems (swimmers ear) and we had to put drops in his ear each morning and night. I had just finished putting the drops in his ear when Addison walked up.

Addison: Mommy, I want to watch you put drops in Jackson's ear.
Me: OK sweetie (and I proceeded to pretend to put the drops in his ear)
Addison: Mommy, why did you pretend it?
Me: Uh ...
Daddy: laughs hysterically

So, guess I won't be pretending it anymore!

Quenta

Hide and Seek

2010-08-17T21:57:00.001-05:00

The kids love to play hide and seek. The boys really just like to hide but then tell you where they are. Usually they will hide somewhere (like under their bed) and the minute you walk in the room, they jump out and say "surprise!" Addison is actually quite good at the game. She can stay hidden for a long time and never make a peep. But she never wants to hide alone ... she wants to hide with Mommy.

Tonight, we had a large box in our foyer. The kids wanted to play hide and seek ... all three stated that they wanted to hide in the shower upstairs and wanted Mommy to come find them. On their way upstairs, they noticed the box and decided to hide in it.

Meanwhile, I'm in the living room counting to ten. Jackson starts yelling that they are not ready. I can hear the three of them talking and I can tell that they are in the box together. They are just trying to figure out how to get the box closed. Soon, Addison calls out to me. "Mommy, can you come close the box?"

I said back to her: "Addison, if Mommy closes the box for you, I will know where you are hiding."

Long pause ... you can tell they are processing this information.

And then Addison says to her brothers, "Guys, I think we should hide somewhere else."

And they all get out of the box and head upstairs!

Too cute!

How was your day?

2010-06-24T20:34:00.002-05:00

Every day, when I come home from work, I always ask the kids what they did that day. I go into it knowing what they did because I've received the update from Daddy when I called home during my lunch break or to let him know I was headed home. Even though I know what they did, I always like to hear the kids' take on it.

Up until recently, when I would ask the kids about their day, I would get the response from all three of "nothing." It didn't matter what they really did that day ... went to the grocery store, the McWane center, the YMCA, swimming, the zoo, etc. It didn't even matter how exciting their day was ... because sometimes I already knew that they got to pet a shark or a chinchilla or a sting-ray or a snake. I still got the "nothing" response.

I've grown to beleive in Al's theory: that each time the kids go to sleep and wake up, they think it is a different day. They really have a hard concept with time ... they get today, yesterday, tonight, this morning and tomorrow all mixed up. The other night we were driving back from Sam's club and we told the kids that they could have some icecream that night. They all started crying and saying they wanted some today. Al and I both kept telling them that tonight was today ... but they didn't get it. Suddenly, I said that tonight meant now. They all stopped whining and crying and William said "Oh, OK!"

Our kids still take a late afternoon nap. Typically they go down around 2pm and sleep until 4 or 5pm. So, I think that when I get home and asked them what they did today ... they think only of the time since they took their naps! And that is why I get a big fat NOTHING!!!

But lately, things are changing. When I ask how their day was, I actually get information about their day. The problem now is that they talk over each other and they all want to tell me the same things ... and they get really mad at each other if someone else tells what they want to tell.

And that is exactly what happened this evening! Today, Daddy took them to the science center (McWane) and swimming at Grandm Jack's pool. When I asked them how their day was, they all started talking about their time at the pool ... William told me about another kid who had a boo-boo ... Addison told me about someone who was nice to me ... and Jackson told me about what they found in the pool. But when they get really excited to tell me something, sometimes they have a hard time spitting it out ... Jackson couldn't quite get his words right so William jumped right in to finish his story for him. Needless to say, Jackson was NOT very happy about that!

After Jackson calmed down and realized that William hadn't really spoiled his story, Jackson finally told me what he wanted to say. He said, "I found a gun and a ball in the dream." Of course, he meant to say drain!! Everytime he said dream, Al or I corrected him to drain ... but for some reason, he just could not say drain! So we tried to get him to say words that rhymed with drain ... train, plain, brains (which sprarked a few "brains" in our best zombie voices). And he could say all of those words with no problem. After at least 15 attempts to say drain ... but intead saying dream. Al and I were laughing so hard ... and Jackson finally got it right!

I love this age. The kids are so funny ... so sweet and loving and innocent. No wonder the Bible tells us that unless we change and become like little children we will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt 18:3). We are supposed to be teaching our children about God ... but I think I am learning more about God from them.
So many other funny stories to share ... when I have more time!
Quenta

The Moon

2010-06-06T19:37:00.007-05:00

The kids received a moon night-light for Christmas this past year from my parents ... Mimi and Granddaddy. They love their moon and the triplet of the day gets to turn it on each night. The moon can be set to mimic the different phases of the moon but our kids just turn it on "full" each night.

The moon has a built-in timer and usually turns itself off after 30 minutes or so. Of course, this isn't nearly long enough to allow our trio to fall asleep. Typically, we are light-out at 9pm ... and typically we hear the last of our kiddos well after 10pm. It is really cute ... most nights! They all share a room ... the boys have a queen bed and Addison has a twin bed. William is always the first to go to sleep and Addison is always the last. Most nights, you will hear Addison shouting "wake up William! Wake up!" That part isn't so cute :)

Many nights, after we turn out the light and close the door, we have to make 2-3 return trips to their room. The first trip is usually prompted by Jackson calling out from the top of the stairs. He is usually crying about some injustice that William has done to him. "William hit me" or "William kicked me" etc. etc. etc. One great thing about Jackson ... he is almost always honest! He will tell you exactly what William did to him ... and what he did to William! We have found that these late night wresting matches leave neither part unharmed ... or innocent!

The other night during one such return trip, I noticed that the moon was barely glowing. Of course, the kids were quick to point it out to me too. Here is how the conversation went:

William: The moon needs new batteries.

Me: Well, we'll let Daddy do that tomorrow.

William: It is really easy. You just pull it off the wall and put new batteries in it.

Me: I understand William, but I think we'll let Daddy do that tomorrow.

William: Are you too tired to put new batteries in the moon?

Me: (very surprised) Yes, William, Mommy's too tired!

It still amazes me how perceptive they are now. You really can't get much by them! One day we were all laying on the boy's bed and Al and I were talking about where we wanted to go that afternoon. Al spelled Sam's Club ... and William piped up "I want to go to Sam's Club." For one horrible moment, I thought that William was actually learning to spell and I am not ready for that! We convinced ourselves it was just coincidence!

They are growing up so quickly! And yes, I'm stealing a photo from my husband's blog ... but then again, I did take the picture!

Quenta

Conversations Overheard

2010-01-08T17:20:00.007-06:00

It is funny to hear the kids in conversation ... this morning, here is what Al overheard while Jackson and Addison were playing with the trains:

Addison whining: "I want a train."

Jackson: "If you stop whining, I'll share one with you."

It's great when your kids start "training" each other!

Favorite Moments of 2009--January

2010-01-07T22:03:00.009-06:00

I really did a poor job of blogging in 2009. I started looking back at pictures of the year and I'm pretty sure I am already starting to forget things. Of course, that really comes as no surprise to those of you who know me well as I often complain about my lack of memory since the kids came along!!!

So, I decided that I will do a year-in-review series of posts ... mostly to help myself remember some of my favorite moments of 2009. So here goes ... January 2009.

One of the best things about the start of my day is that almost every day starts with one or two or three kids "helping" me get ready in the mornings. Of course by "help" I really mean just play with all of my stuff. I probably have the most well-versed toddlers when it comes to understanding make-up ... what's that Mommy? mascara, eye-shadow, blush, lip stick, etc. They know it all. Of course, their favorite items (other than lip stuff--chapstick) are mousse and hair clips. Not a day goes by that I don't share my mousse with someone! Oh, and they love to build towers out of my rollers!

Most days, this is a great way to start my day and I thoroughly enjoy this precious time with my kids. Being a working Mom, I feel like I miss so much and this time each day helps to make up for it. Of course, that is most days! Some days, I am running late, the kids are whining, and I have to help two kids go to the potty. But it is just all part of the package! I wouldn't trade that time for anything.

Back when they still slept in their toddler beds, William went thru a stage where he had a tremendous number of stuffed animals that he wanted to sleep with each night. So many animals in fact that there was barely room for him! William has never really taken to a lovey ... he has a lamb that he really loves and his Aubie, but it is not like Jackson with his glowy!

Their toddler beds lasted all of about 3 months. After that, they decided they all wanted to sleep in a pile on their floor. It started off just Jackson and he would sleep in the floor in their bathroom. Soon William joined him ... since William always does what Jackson does! Within a few months, Addison had joined them. Mimi and Granddaddy got them some great sleeping bags from Land's End ... and Addison's didn't come in when the boys did. So we went a little retro and Addison used Mommy's old Holly Hobby sleeping bag for the first few weeks of her floor sleeping time.

Somewhere around October, the kids suddenly decided that the floor was not very comfortable and that Mommy and Daddy's bed was. Kids started showing up in the middle of the night. Sleeping with one three year old in a king-sized bed is really no big deal ... sleeping between two of them? Not really comfortable. They are like little heaters and will sweat you out of a bed!

So, for Christmas, we got them big girl/boy beds. Addison's bed is a family piece. Her Grandma Jack remembers sleeping in that bed on the sleeping porch at the beach when she was a little girl. The boys got a new queen-sized bed that is really comfortable. Has it kept them from coming downstairs in the night? Nope! But that's OK ... I love to snuggle with my kids!

Just a cute picture of Addison! Her little personality has blossomed this year and I love having a daughter. Addison has always been a Mommy's girl ... and now she is old enough to do things with me. I so enjoy spending one-on-one time with her. This past Wednesday night, she told me that she wanted to go to class with me ... she said "I'm a girl Mommy." I guess that does qualify her to attend the ladies Esther class with me! Of course, at one point Beth Moore asked the women to raise their hand if they were sitting beside a mean girl ... Addison raised her hand! The other women in the class got a kick out of that!

We tend to generate a lot of static in this family. This picture was too cute not to include ... especially with Al's back-ground of getting shocked all the time!

For Christmas 2008, G-Daddy got the kiddos a Learning Tower. This has been a huge hit around here and I highly recommend it. It allows the kids to be counter level to help with cooking dinner, etc. And help they did. One of their favorite things to do is to help Daddy cook breakfast or dinner. Daddy makes a wonderful homemade pizza ... here they are making the dough and the pizzas.

We worked on our utensil skills this year. Now they are great ... they were still a little messy in January! Currently we are working on big boy/girl cups. The kids are starting to prefer a normal cup to their sippy cups. For several weeks now, they get big girl/boy cups at meal-times. They are doing great and we haven't had any major spills ... yet!

And we can't forget Rosie! The kids received a Thomas starter set from Mimi and Granddaddy for Christmas 2008. We headed out with our gift cards and purchased a couple more trains and some more track in January. Addison picked out a pink train ... of course! Rosie. Unfortunately, Rosie doesn't always watch what she is doing. If you look closely, you can see the chunk of hair that Rosie pulled out of Addison. Rosie ended up getting William a few months later! We still love our trains and play with them almost daily.

Well, this started out as a January update ... but I really covered a lot of ground here! But, the pictures are all from January 2009.

More to come!

Quenta

Oh, and these last two pictures are of the kids at the McWane Science Center. We spent a lot of time there in 2009 ... or I should say that Al and the kids spent a lot of time there!

Three Years Old (three months ago!)

2009-12-08T22:41:00.003-06:00

How do you measure time? We measures time in minutes, hours, days, weeks, and years. And yet that really doesn't capture the essence of what time feels like.

When you are 10 and can't wait to be in your teens ... 3 years seems like forever! When you are 13 and can't wait to turn 16 and get your license, you think the time will never pass. When you are 38 and staring down 40 ... time seems to blow away as quickly as a dandelion's seeds are disbursed by the puff of breath from a toddler.

And that is how the past three years have gone in our lives. In some ways, it feels like Jackson, Addison and William have always been a part of my life. It is hard for me to imagine what my life was like pre-triplets. And in other ways, it is as if they have just been here for a moment.

A few weeks ago, we took the kids to have their pictures made at Portrait Innovations. We go there every year around their birthday ... good pictures for a great price! Later that day, back at work, I put their 3 year old pictures in the frames that I have in my office. There under the 2 year pics were the 1 year pics. And it took my breath away how much they have changed.

Gone are my babies. Gone are my toddlers. I sat there looking at their pictures and it was so easy to imagine what each of them will look like at 18 ... when I will be placing their senior portraits in those frames. And I am already sad. Sad that they are growing up so quickly. Sad that I can't just stop and cherish every moment ... the good and the bad ... and just enjoy now. Sad that I have already forgotten so many things.

And so I resolve (once again) to blog more often for posterity. To remember the funny things my kids say and do. To treasure each day for the beauty it brings. To remember that happiness is fleeting, that God is good and that ultimately loving our Father is what is important.

So let's see how long I can keep this up! I'll leave you with something insightful that Addison said the other day when I was sad:

Addison: Mommy, what is wrong?

Me: I'm sad Addison

Addison: Mommy, don't be sad.

Me: It's OK. Sometimes Mommies get sad.

Addison: There is no room for sad Mommy.

Seriously, who is the parent here? I definitely know that I am learning as much from them as they are learning from me. The interesting thing is that God is using them to help me grow Spiritually. And I thought that was my job to help them. God is amazing that way.

So, without further delay, here are some of their 3 year pictures

Out of the mouth of babes ...

2009-06-29T22:49:00.005-05:00

Al took the kids to the zoo today. Tonight at dinner I asked the kids what animals they saw ... to which William replied:

"We didn't see the gorilla."

Sadly, Jamie, a 24 year old western lowland gorilla at our zoo died this past week. He was a beautiful, graceful creature of God and our kids enjoyed visiting him each trip to the zoo. So, I wasn't sure what William thought about the gorilla being gone or what Al may have told them knowing that at 2 1/2 they are too young to understand death.

Then William promptly said, "The gorilla was gone to work." Oh, if only life was only that simple! It already makes my heart sad to think of losses they will have in their lifetime. If only there was some way to protect them from such pain and sadness. I imagine that is how our Heavenly Father feels toward us. How wonderful it is to know that we can lay our pain and suffering at the cross and Jesus will carry our burden.

Jamie 1985-2009

Quenta

2009-05-18T22:23:00.004-05:00

And no Pollard family vacation can be called a "real vacation" if we don't catch something! I like to call 'em "critters" because it makes us sound really Southern!

I must say I was really impressed that the boys were first, fast enough and second, not scared at all of these little crabs. They both caught at least half a dozen of them by hand after Mommy showed them how to find them, stalk them and then grab them (gently of course)!

Unfortunately, I was only able to get a picture of William holding one of his crabs. Who knew that after approximatly 38 minutes of being handled, the crabs would get ... well, a little crabby. Both of the boys were pinched a couple of times at the end and they didn't seem to care too much for it. Since I also was pinched, I knew it didn't hurt them. When I asked ... "did it hurt you or just scare you?" they both were quick to say "it scare me!"

We had so much fun!

The Beach ... a preview ...

2009-05-17T22:28:00.007-05:00

No time to post tonight as I am tired from my vacation! Do I really have to go to work tomorrow? Anyway, we had a great time at the beach. Here is a quick peek at the pictures ...

NO FEAR!

2009-05-12T21:11:00.003-05:00

And perhaps the best part of this story is that "Milli" was waiting for me in a pitcher outside my office door one morning last week! I think it is great that someone on my team brought this to me. No one in Dallas ever brought me bugs! :)

It is pretty cool that the kids love stuff like this. It is so fun for me! The only problem with "Milli" was that William wanted to keep her/him ????? William, maybe when you get older and can take care of her we will get you another one. By the way, Mommy used to get paid to raise these things when she was in college working in the Entomology lab!

Milli is a Giant Millipede, has 200-300 legs and can live up to 3 years. According to some, millipedes make good pets

http://www.petco.com/caresheets/invertebrates/Millipede_GiantAfrican.pdf

Who knew! Maybe someday William!

Quenta

Aldridge Gardens

2009-05-06T22:16:00.007-05:00

We love Aldridge Gardens! It is a free park in the B'ham area and we usually take a pic-nic lunch and stroll around for a couple of hours. Great place for pictures too! The kids enjoyed covering each other ... and us ... in pine straw! It was a little challenging to get them to keep it out of the grass! We did a little "critter" hunting ... with some success! :)

Our first earthworm!

The kids always like to "help" pull the wagon!

And they enjoy dancing with the Rabbit!

We even managed to spot a snake ... I think it is a Midland Water Snake???

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T22:00:00.011-05:00

Well, this is only a few weeks late! I uploaded the pictures in a timely manner, just never got around to actually posting them! :)

We had a wonderful Easter that started off with the kiddos opening their baskets Sunday morning and then off to church we went. We finished the day with Sunday dinner at my parents house and Easter Egg Hunting with our cousins.

The highlight of the day? Well two of them really ...

1. In church Sunday morning, William was praying out loud. When the kiddos started talking, we encouraged them to pray out loud along with us. We would say a few words, they would repeat them back to us. Guess I wasn't thinking about what would happen when they heard other people pray. Normally they go to nursury during the service, but we had a special service Easter morning and we wanted the kids to be part of it. When our Associate Minister (Charlie) was praying, little William prayed right along with him. It was precious. The gentleman sitting next to us commented on it after the service ... he said "Your son praying was one of the most touching moments of the service. He was really listening." And to think that I was worried that it was bothering those around us!

2. A day or so after Easter, here was Jackson's prayer:

"Thank you God for ... my bed, my milk, Glowie, all our friends ... and Jesus who died on cross and came back. Amen"

You know what? They really are listening! Amidst all the fun and commercialization that is Easter, my children are the ones who really get it.

Thank you God for Jesus who died on the cross and came back.

Quenta

Addison and her cousing Kate checking out the money the found in an egg that Granddaddy hid! Addison in the dress that Grandma Jack made (she made the boys shirts too!)

All 5 cousins in one frame ... Kate, Abby, Jackson, William and Addison ... only missing one!

William

Granddaddy and his grandkids ... looks like he is the pied piper!

My parents with the kiddos!

Kate and Abby

Job Security

2009-03-27T22:07:00.005-05:00

Al and I jokingly refer to certain "events" as job security for him ...

1. kids all 3 crying at the dinner table when no one wants to eat what Daddy cooked

2. Sunday mornings when we are trying to get the trio ready for church (which starts at 8:30 am) and no one wants to wear what Mommy picked out

3. simultaneous melt-down at any time

4. three 2 1/2 year old kiddos who all want to sit in Mommy's lap at the same time

5. same three who don't want to stay in their beds at nap time

6. any attempt to leave the house without someone having a poopie diaper

And the list really goes on-an-on. When it gets really frustrating, Al just smiles and says to me "Job security!" See, when things are all nice and perfect, I start to think ... maybe I could do this stay-at-home Mom thing. Then the kiddos do something normal for 2 year olds and I think ... Nope! I'm crazy to think that I am cut out for staying at home.

Well ... today was just that sort of day! Daddy is sick. I mean really, really sick. Like Mommy called in to work sick because Daddy couldn't take care of the trio. So I have been with them all day ... pretty much by myself ... just like Daddy does every day.

Yesterday, the weather was perfect and Daddy took the kiddos to the zoo for a couple of hours. At dinner, the kids each told me all about it ... the animals they saw, how much fun they had, how much they love Daddy! And I started to think to myself ... Wow, this is getting easier and easier. Look at Daddy out having fun with them every day. I want to go to the zoo. After all, I was the wildlife biology major ...

Today, I take it all back. Bring on the 100+ emails per day, the back-to-back phone conferences, webinars and meenting, the projects, and even the payroll bank rec! All of that is CAKE compared to how challenging a day with triplets can be.

Don't get me wrong. I love my kiddos and all-in-all we had a great day today! But it is 10:15 pm, the van is still in the front and needs to be pulled into the garage. I just fed the dog. The kitchen is still a mess from dinner. I have birthday gifts to wrap for tomorrow. Clothes to wash, fold and put away ... and a whole list of things I thought I should have been able to get done today and just couldn't quite get to!

But we did have a good day! Of course, I did go the the YMCA ... how else is a girl going to get a shower with 3 little ones? So I had a little break in the morning. And they did take a 2 hour nap ... as did Mommy! But we had a nice dinner, went for a walk and even made a trip out to Target this evening.

And once again, I am overwhelmed with how good God has been to my family. I really do have the best husband and best father for my children ... Al amazes me every day.

Honey, I love you!

Merry Christmas everyone!

2008-12-19T21:57:00.007-06:00

We spent last Friday night and Saturday at my parents house. We went up there trying to get some pictures of all the grandkids for my parents to use as a Christmas card. It was very cold that day and of course I didn't have coats for the kids. I just can't bring myself to spend that much money on something they will only wear 2-3 times! We do live in Alabama ... my husband wears shorts year-round. It just hardly ever gets cold!

But it was cold Saturday ... at least as low as the 30's. Bright, beautiful, clear, sunshinny and cold! Here are some of the best pics we got that day. Not great ... and as usual Addison was not happy for the group shots!

Checking out the water fountain The best one of the 5 of us!

Unhappy Addison

My little boy William

Brotherly love!

The Trio with their twin cousins ... this is what it would be like to have quintuplets!

Outside in the fake snow waiting to see Santa

What a wonderful time of year this is! I love all of the beautiful lights and Christmas decorations! The beautiful red bows everywhere ... how people are unusually friendly and courteus this time of year. All the wonderful food that I get to eat because it is Christmas! The fact that I get a couple of days off work to spend with my family ...

But most of all, I love the fact that Jesus left his warm and perfect heaven to come to our cold and ungrateful earth. It was that simple, magnificent act that put Him here ... here where He would live for thirty-something years before He would give His life for me.

That is what Christmas is really about. Amazing and beautiful.

Merry Christmas to all of you. May God keep you safe during this holiday season.

Quenta

How stubborn can a 2 year old be?

2008-12-11T20:21:00.009-06:00

My Dear Sweet Little Addison,

Mommy always wanted a little girl ... well, for at least as long as Mommy has wanted children! God knew what Mommy's heart desired and He saw fit to place you with me (and your Daddy too!). What a special little girl you are.

You love pink. In fact, you often call yourself "pink". Yelling to all who will listen ... I PINK! I PINK! I PINK! When we found out we were having 2 boys and a girl, I so hoped that you would be somewhat of a girly-girl. Not the princess, prissy sort, but the kind who likes pretty dresses and bows and would sometimes like to play with a doll or two. With two brothers who like to rough-house around, you are forced to hold your own ... and you do! But somewhere in the midst of all of the dinosaurs, race cars, and balls, you managed to grab hold of a few girly-girl things and hang-on with all of your might! You love all things pink ... you have to have a pink plate at every meal, a pink fork, pink cup, pink clothes, pink toys (if there is one) and pink hats. And for now, at least, you tolerate bows and dresses! We are still working on the doll thing ... for now, you would much rather have a soccer ball!

I know you will not want to hear this when you get older, but you really are a little mini-me. Everyone who knows me and sees you thinks so. In fact, our hair is the exact same color ... in pictures sometimes I can't tell where my hair ends and yours begins! But how much you look like me is just the tip of the iceberg as to how much you act like me. You love to eat ... especially meat. We call you our little carnivore. When you wake up in the morning you like to hang-out in your bed for half an hour or so just lounging around or reading a book. You have a tendancy to whine to get what you want ... but you have been doing so much better with this!

You are as smart as a whip. You figured out early on that if the boys have something you want, it is easier to find something they will trade for than to try to get it from them or wait for them to finish playing with it. You love animals ... all animals! You are not afraid of them like your brothers are sometimes. And you especially like goats ... just like Mommy!

You are bossy and love to be in control. You do a good job of helping Mommy and Daddy keep the boys in line and are definitely a good helper. You like to be the one to hand out the snacks and collect the toothbrushes when we finish brusing our teeth. You teacher said last week "she was telling everybody what to do today!" You are also the comforter. When the boys are upset you play "little Mommy" and take care of them making sure they have their favorite stuffed animal or blanket.

You are our little "skater girl" and always have to have a hat on. It is so rare to see you without a hat, I almost forgot how beautiful your hair is pulled back in a pretty little bow! You are possessive and the first to say mine. In fact, you say mine so often, I think you could try out for a seagull role in the next Finding Nemo.

And you are stubborn. If you don't want to do something, there really isn't any making you do it. You are so cute when we tell you to come to us and you take these teeny little steps ... enough forward movement that you know you won't get in trouble, but so painstakingly small and slow that it is all your dad and I can do to not go to you!

But tonight, I think you took the cake for stubbornness. All day today, Daddy has been trying to get you to cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. Your brothers do it. But you flat-out refuse. So the deal was, you had to cover your mouth one time and cough or you would have to go to bed without your paci. One time! Just one single time! We even told you it could be a fake cough. You said no. When Daddy asked you what was more important to you ... making your point and going without your paci or giving in and covering your mouth ... you choose to go without your paci. So as of tonight ... you are paci free!

But most of all Addison, you are a Mommy's girl through and through. When Mommy is around you are like velcro to me. I either have to hold your or hold your hand all the time. And I love it! Now don't get me wrong ... there have been times where this drives me crazy. And I just stop and think about what a wonderful gift you are and that the years will go by so quickly and soon you won't want your Mommy to hold you and kiss you.

You are quick to tell me you love me and to give me hugs and kisses. God knew my heart and he gave me you. I know the most important thing I can do for you is to teach you to love Him. I am sometimes overcome by the tremendous responsibility we have raising the 3 of you. I praise God for blessing me with you (and your brothers) and I pray for His hand to always be present in our raising all 3 of you. If you can love the Lord as much as you love pink you will be OK!

Love,

Mommy

The Tennessee Aquarium

2008-09-30T21:10:00.011-05:00

This past weekend, we took a trip up to Chattanooga to visit my Aunt Linda and Uncle Charles and go to the Tennessee Aquarium.

When I was a kid, I used to spend a lot of time with Aunt Linda and Uncle Charles and I have great memories of those times. Aunt Linda and Uncle Charles really helped our family out when we were in a bind last year ... the time between when we pulled the kids from day-care and when we found a nanny. With just a phone-call, they re-arranged their schedules and drove the 600+ miles to stay with 3 five month old babies. They will always hold a very special place in my heart for helping us that week!

Needless to say, we had a great time! A couple of wonderful meals with a little Presidential Debate thrown in the middle! We can't wait to go back for a longer weekend ... or get them to come to B'ham to visit us! Oh, and it was also great to see my cousins ... Amber Jill and Justin.

No Addison, that sting ray cannot come thru the glass!

William, I know that you heard kids got to take penguins home, but we really don't have the room!

Aunt Linda, Uncle Charles and Zachary

The kids playing with the sting rays (minus their stingers)!

Not too bad for a not very creative Mom!

2008-09-17T21:53:00.005-05:00

I really am not a creative person at all. When people talk about scrapbooking, I cringe. Folks ask me from time-to-time "did you write that down in their Baby book?" What baby book? Even if I only had one kid, there would not be a baby book.

But we do have a blog ... and one of these days, I'm going to sit down and figure out how to print all of these pages out and put them in their baby boxes. That's right ... I said boxes. What! Just because I'm not creative enough to use pinking shears and create some pretty pages doesn't mean that I'm not sentimental and want to save every silly little thing that they do ... :)

So when it came to their room here in Alabama, I didn't know what to do. In Dallas, the room was smaller and painted blue (the same blue as now). It had a huge tree on the wall that was really wallpaper but everyone thought that it was a painted mural.

I wanted some pink in the room for Addison ... so I ended up going with a pastel blue/pink/green theme on the walls. I found some great paper flowers for about $0.60 to go around Addison's name. They turned out so well that I decided to put something around the boy's names ... so I went on a little shopping spree to Michael's. About $15 later, we have animals.

I'm happy to say that I now love their new room as much as I did their old room. Maybe it is just because that is where my children sleep ... but it is my favorite room in the house!

Oh, and now the kids know all the animals on their walls!

Quenta

They are 2!!!

2008-09-14T20:54:00.017-05:00

Well, the Trio turned 2 today! It is hard to believe that two years ago, about this time, I was seeing my little ones for the first time. It would be tomorrow morning before I would hold Jackson and Addison ... and another 3 days or so before I would hold our little William.

Time has passed so quickly ... they are growing up before my eyes! Sometime in the next week or so I will update the blog with the stats from their 2-year drs appt. But for now, let me just tell you about the big birthday party!

We celebrated at Mimi and Granddaddy's house in North Alabama. A big Thank You for hosting the party for us! We thought it would be easier for us to drive the 2 hours than have everyone drive to us! :)

We had an Elmo cake!

And we ate Funyuns!

We had Elmo balloons!

And we laughed and hugged everyone a lot! (Mommy and her mommy ... Mimi)

We wore party hats while eating our Funyuns!

We got a lot of nice gifts! Thanks everyone!

And we enjoyed opening them this time!

We even got some new clothes ... Mommy really liked this shirt! Thanks Aunt Rhonda!

William may have enjoyed the ribbon more than his gifts!

But he liked the dinosaurs! Again, thanks Aunt Rhonda!

And we had an Elmo cake ...

We tried to light the candles, but it was too windy outside!

But that didn't stop us from having a good time!

Or really digging in to our cake!

We got really messy!

And we loved the ice cream!

After the party, we changed into our Saturday uniforms ... our Auburn gear.

And we had our picture made with Granddaddy!

All-in-all, it was a great party and we had a lot of fun!

Then on our birthday, we just hung out with Mom and Dad and G-Daddy! We went to church and went to the park ... and tried to recover from our Saturday party. Plus, we were a little embarassed by Auburn's slim win this weekend so we had to keep a low profile so people wouldn't tease us too much!

Two (what?) Year Pictures

2008-09-11T21:24:00.006-05:00

I have come to believe that God gives women memory loss during pregnancy and after your children are born for a reason ... because if we could remember how bad things go sometimes, we would never try anything twice. It hit me today as we were leaving Portrait Innovations ... last time we had pictures made (March in Dallas) it was a beat-down ... hmmm ... wonder why I thought this time would be different?

The boys were great ... and we got some wonderful pictures of them. Addison was a mess ... but somehow, she is so cute, she pulled it off.

All-in-all, was it terrible enough not to do it again? ABSOLUTELY! But I will probably forget by tomorrow :)

So here they are ...

All 3--W, A, J

William is squatting down a little in this pic, but it was the only one we got of all 3 together that was half-way decent!

Pretty much sums up the day for my little angel! Jackson all smiles!

William looking like a model! Wow! Does his hair look red here or what! And again, our little Abercrombie boy!

And I'll close with two sweet pictures of Addison!