Job Security

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!

Q

Merry Christmas everyone!

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?

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

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!

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!!!

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!