Trapped

I was just going through some old photos and found this one and had to post it. This is definitely one of my favorites. The kids were around 11 months here. The girls got caught trapping their brother under the laundry basket. I know it's terrible, but I love the look on K's face!

Current Phases

The kids are going through some interesting phases right now. J is pretty typical, I think, she's repeating everything she hears. This is funny and frustrating at the same time, because no matter how hard we try, those words or phrases we don't want them to repeat slip out when the kids are around. It's funny because of the way she says them. I'll try to get some video and get it posted soon.

K is going through a very picky, "Type A" stage right now. If things aren't exactly the way he wants them, he breaks down and throws a tantrum. The other day he flipped out when someone gave him the green sippy cup instead of the yellow one. And yesterday he freaked when he was given a cracker in pieces instead of whole. It's little things really, but annoying nonetheless.

E's current phase is a bit more frustrating and confusing. Every so often she will keep her food in her mouth and not swallow it. She kept a Teddy Graham in her mouth for 45 minutes on the way home from Myrtle Beach. She doesn't do this with every food, and she does eat some of the food that she eventually decides to keep, usually. After so long, we have to go in and remove the liquified food from her mouth, and then she will usually continue eating, but not that particular food. At one time we thought it might have been a sore throat, but there was no cough, and then she started eating Kix one day, dry. That stuff is pretty rough and she was eating it no problem, so I decided that it wasn't a sore throat. There is no rhymre or reason that I can figure out as to why she is doing this. It doesn't seem to be a sensory thing becuase she is "saving" all different kinds (textures) of foods, from bread to mac 'n cheese to lasagna to teddy grahams and crackers. I think it's just a phase that we'll have to get through. The good news is that she hasn't done it yet today and we've gotten through breakfast, snack and lunch. It should be interesting to see if it happens at dinner.

Myrtle Beach: The Pictures

As promised, here are the pictures:

J on the balcony

E on the beach

Mommy and E

J and E
Grandma, Grandpa, Mommy, J, K and E
Everyone again
J likes the camera!
E waving hello
K and Grandpa

E giving her simle!

J giving her simle!

J likes to pose for the camera

E smiling more!

K and Grandpa again

G!

K was very concerned

Check out K's shorts.

He got a little too close to the waves!

E hugging Mommy

E getting some "Keamie!" Close up
The "after" shot.

J at the aquarium

Look at the fishies!!

Almost nap time!

and...he's out!

E getting some snuggle time with mommy!

Cool kite, not ours.

Good storm rolling out to sea

After the storm.

Can you see the rainbow?

Next up: The videos. Stay tuned!

The Beach: Part Two

On Monday we took the kids out to the beach and were able to take them out into the water, but they still did not like the sand at all. E and J would scream and cry any time their feet hit the sand. K was still ambivolent to the whole experience. He had a very serious look on his face the whole time. We couldn't really tell if he liked it or hated it. He was just neutral. Once they went into the water they were much better. Grandpa and I took turns taking them out into the waves. J especially liked being in the water, she would giggle and smile each time we went up and down with the waves, she had a blast and didn't want to go in. K also gave me a few giggles as we went up and down. E also enjoyed the water, but I think mostly because it washed the sand off of her feet.


On Tuesday I woke up with some allergy/sinus issues, so I took some benadryl and don't really remember much after that. At some point I was roused from my benadryl induced sleep by the sound of my daughter, E, whining loudly. The only problem was she wasn't in the condo. I had left the balcony door open and found that she was in the pool below and was not happy with the way Mommy was holding her at that moment. I could hear her whine four stories up!!


On Wednesday we took the kids out to the beach again. Our second venture out onto the sand was much better than the first. We laid down towels and placed the kids on them, then handed out some shovels and buckets. After some instruction, the kids were digging and throwing sand all over the place. They were still a little freaked out when they got sand on themselves, but that didn't last long. Before we knew it, they were running through the sand and towards the water. Lucky for us we had Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle George with us to help keep track of the kiddos. K and I even found a hole that someone had dug just at the edge of the water to play in. A few minutes later the girls decided to join us. All three kids had a great time splashing in the water and digging in the sand.

Thursday we took the kids back to Broadway at the Beach and had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. K loved looking around and dancing to the music in his seat. All three seemed to love the atmosphere in there, it was a good pick for lunch. After we ate, we went to the Aquarium. We were encroaching on the kids nap time, so we broke out the strollers for the first time this vacation. Good thing we did, too, because K fell asleep after about a half an hour. His little head kept swinging left and right, then down in front of him. I felt so bad that I picked him up and just held him. He put his head down on my shoulder and was fast asleep. We figured that was a pretty good sign that it was time to go back to the condo for naps.


Unfortunately on Friday it started raining around nap time so we didn't get out to the beach like we had planned. But we did have a relaxing afternoon in the condo with the kids. We watched a few Elmo videos, had some pizza, and read books. It was a nice, calm way to end our week at the beach.

North Myrtle Beach

After a long day and a half on the road, we made it to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We left after lunch on Friday and made a small detour to pick up Gretchen's brother, George. After some diaper changing and a little run around time, we hit the road. A few stops later, we made it to Charleston, West Virginia, our destination for the night, just before bedtime. The kids slept pretty well in their peapods, which are like tents for toddlers, and come in very handy in places like hotel rooms or vacation condos. The next morning we met up with Gretchen's parents, who stayed at the same hotel we did for the night, only they got there a few hours after us. We all had breakfast and hit the road bright and early!

I have to say, for 22 month olds, they did really well in the van. We did have our Elmo DVD's and some new toys for them to play with, but all in all, they were pretty quiet for being couped up in the van for a day and a half. We did stop at some rest stops and let them run around and stretch their legs a bit. We even found a playground somewhere in Virginia that the kids got to play on. They all had a pretty good time, even though J took a header into the mulch and cut her lip pretty good.

By the time we got to Myrtle Beach on Saturday, we had just enough time to unpack the van, let the kids run around the condo a bit, and then put them to bed. Which was good, because I needed some Elmo-free time to decompress after the long drive.

Sunday we drove down to Myrtle Beach and found Broadway on the Beach, an expansive collection of shops and restaurants. We all had lunch at Margaritaville. The kids loved their chicken fingers and fries, and E shared a very sour pickle with daddy, which was quite a site. She made some great faces, but kept on eating!! By the time we were done eating, it was almost nap time, so we headed back to the condo and the trips, daddy and grandpa napped while mommy and grandma went shopping for some supplies.

After naps, we had a light dinner and then headed out to the beach with the kids. the girls did not like the sand on their feet at all, but seemed to love the water. K really didn't know what to make of it all. He had a very concerned look on his face the whole time and stayed really close to an adult at all times. The girls were smiling and giggling the whole time, unless they noticed the sand on their feet, then there was crying. By the time we got rinsed off and back to the condo, it was almost time for bed. And that was our first full day in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I'll have plenty of pictures and video to post, as soon as I can (the internet connection here is a little slow).

Orange Barrels

The city has decided to patch parts of our street this summer, and the way they're going about it has resulted in lots of heavy equipment going up and down the street throughout the day. This has provided hours of entertainment for the kids, they love watching the trucks and front end loaders and workers in their bright yellow vests. And yes, I'll admit it, it's not just entertaining for the kids. I enjoy it as well, until I have to go somewhere. It's a rather large pain in the butt to get around during the construction season. There are two main roads that head east from our house, and both are under construction. And now our street is under construction as well! I can't go anywhere without seeing orange barrels. And that reminded me of a song that I heard a few years back: Orange Barrels, by Todd Yohn. It's a rather amusing commentary on the state of our infrastructure. Okay, not really, but it's still funny. You can check out a quick sound byte from his site by clicking here. Or download the whole song from iTunes by clicking here. It's worth the ninety nine cents.

The Road Ahead

It's been a rough couple of weeks, but we got through it and everything seems to be returning to normal. At least as normal as it can get with 21 month old triplets!! We picked the trips up from my parents last Thursday. By noon on Friday I was exhausted! I made it through and Gretch came home and rescued me around five o'clock. I was very greatful. Saturday we stayed indoors due to the rain and had a friend come over with his two kids for a playdate. We all had dinner and went out for some ice cream. E liked it the best (she is mommy's little clone). K and J didn't care for it much. Sunday we just layed low and enjoyed a relaxing day at home.

Today I took the kids out on a walk for the first time since I had the heart attack. I took it nice and slow and stayed close to home. It felt good to get out and stretch my muscles a bit. I'm a little tired, but feeling good overall.

On Friday we will be embarking on an adventure of sorts. We're taking the kids on vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I can't wait to get out on that beach and enjoy some quality time with the family. My brother-in-law will be traveling with us to help out with the kids, and we'll be meeting Gretchen's parents in Myrtle Beach. So we will have help, and hopefully Gretch and I will be able to get out a little for some alone time!

I will try to post from the road, and will likely post a couple times during the week, but I mostly plan on relaxing and enjoying some family time.


-- Post From My iPhone