Its scene's like these that occur in our house on a daily basis which have led to my neglect of our blog. Or at least thats what I tell myself anyway. The truth of the matter is that the past 6 1/2 months since I have posted have been extremely difficult for us. They have also been extremely rewarding...and tiring... and joyful... and any number of other adjectives that could describe the hundreds of emotions that we go through on a weekly basis. Our lives are a roller coaster. We chug along slowly up the hill every day doing the best we can for the kids, our families and ourselves. Then we sit back and enjoy the ride down. Arms up... and no hands of course. No day is easy. No day is empty. Every day is filled with complex emotions. From the time Larkin wakes up each morning, usually 5-5:30, to when we finally get Kade down to sleep at night, usually between 8-8:30, our lives are non stop. There is always something to do. You see, our house is home to three living breathing learning mini tornados and they can leave a wake of destruction in their path everywhere they go. Toys, Play Doh, Trucks, Princesses, books, puzzles, dvd's, diapers, fruit snacks, juice cups, blankets, shoes, the list could literally go on and on. At this age their minds are developing so fast. Everyday they are taking in more and more. Trial and error at an astonishing rate. Our job as parents is simply to try and help them learn these things. If you had to boil it down and describe our life in a single phrase. This would be it. I am a teacher of life. The majority of things these kids will learn in their life will come from two people. Mom and Dad. Emotions, Basic facts about animals and the planet, how to treat one another, how to cook, what 2 +2 equals, why Orange is our favorite color. All of these things rolled up in a giant ball called life. Its a great job to have. Its an important job. But mostly its a job I want to be good at. I want my kids to learn things the right way. It is because of this that Katie and I are willing to make sacrifices on a daily basis. What we have also learned or at least had reenforced is that watching your children grow is the greatest gift one could ever have. I catch myself at times just staring at their faces in an attempt to imprint that image on my brain so i will never forget it. There are days my heart is so over filled with love for our children that I'm afraid it might burst. There are days where I honestly need to get away. I am human after all. I am just a big (ok XL) version of them. I, and I think Katie would agree b/c we talk about it, have days where I don't know if I can do it anymore. I have found myself questioning my ability to be a good parent. Am I really cut out to do this? Is it ever going to slow down? Why does Larkin always want to be in the sink? Did I just see Maggie try to stick a paper clip in an electrical outlet? Yes, I have internal conflict or self talk all day long. Everyone does. Its natural. Its part of the process. We(any parent out there) are caretaker, teacher, babysitter, chef, housecleaner, breadwinner, problem solver, chauffeur, party planner, shrink, bad guy, punisher, comedian, singer, soother, comforter, coach, goof ball, Son, Daughter, Brother, Sister, Cousin, nephew, niece, co-worker, boss, employee and so much more. Most importantly though we are Mom and Dad. Yeah, this past 6+ months have been tough. Yeah there have been times we ask why us. Yeah there are times we want to just take off for a few weeks and be alone. But you know what. Those moments pale in comparison to the moment when one of your babies snuggles up in your lap to watch a show. Or that moment when they climb their first tree. Or they wake up wide eyed to see what Santa brought them. And so so so many more. So there is my update on us now lets move to the kids.
This is a slideshow from Jan of 2014- Rusty and Leslie's Wedding. I'm sorry if I left anyone off but these photos were taken with my phone. I'm sure Katie has many more on her phone and camera but I'm limited in time and it would literally take days if I added all those photos here
Larkin - Dennis the Menace
Larkin has developed into the most inquisitive (or mischievous if you like) of the triplets. He wants to know how everything works and has a tendency to break it first so he can put it back together. He is our early bird, computer pro and Play Doh connoisseur. He and his golden curls are extremely photogenic and I think every woman who has ever seen him just wants to squeeze him. Larkin loves sleeping in his bunk bed, playing in the sink and puzzles. He can say his ABC's count to 20 and hates getting his diaper changed. His favorite shows are Dora the Explorer and Little Einsteins. He is the only triplet that will eat vegetables and also loves meatballs! He loves to wrestle with daddy or sit in his lap while he navigates the IPad. His Play Doh skills are accelerating at a pace not seen in my life time or that of anyone I know. He loves his brother and sister to chase him and for his grandparents to "get chu". As far as a profession i would have to say it would be as an engineer, architect or internet millionaire.
Maggie - The Princess
Maggie is the most intriguing of the children to me. She is such a tiny little ball of energy and you can never really tell what she is thinking. She loves Beauty and the Beast, Frozen and Little Mermaid the most. She even has a unusual fascination with kissing. All of her toy characters have to be kissing at all times. If you walk into a room and find Arial and Eric in a lip lock on the couch you can bet your bottom dollar that Maggie has been there. She loves her brothers and is not afraid to choke slam one of them if they do not do what she wants. We have to lock our bathroom door when she is awake or else Katie runs the risk of losing a massive about of lipstick or mascara to the walls or Maggie's face. (She painted a few walls and a couple chairs with some black eye shadow a few weeks ago) Maggie loves Turkey sandwiches minus the turkey, cupcakes, ice cream and fruit. She too can count to 20 and say her abc's. Unless you want to see a child covered in stickers please do not bring any to the house b/c she has never met a sticker book she didn't like and her favorite place to display them is on her arms, legs and face. Her favorite color is pink. Her favorite food is pink. Her favorite show is pink. Oh, and her favorite brother is pink. She loves dresses and will only wear the cupcake or owl nightgown pajama's to bed. She is the only triplet that will stick her entire face under water. Profession - Beauty and the Beast on broadway makeup artist. She will specialize in lipstick for kissing scenes
Kade - The Captain
Kade is our most sensitive child. He, like his after before him, wears his feeling on his sleeve. He is also the strongest 2 yr old i've ever seen. He can do dips, pull-ups and doesn't use his feet on the rock wall. He simply pulls himself up to each rock on the wall with his upper body strength. Kade loves dump trucks, bulldozers, airplanes, tractors and anything with a motor in it. His favorite pastime is riding in daddy's lap while he drives his gray car. His favorite shows are Paw Patrol and Wallykazam. He knows his ABC's, can count to 20 and is still proficient in sign language. Kade loves to shoot baskies on his miniature basketball goal and play with his Thomas the Train set. He is our night owl and loves to be read three books at night time. If he only could choose one food for the rest of his life it would be grilled cheese. He loves to play "flying babies" and wrestle with his mom, dad or sister. Kade loves to swing as high as possible on his playset and jump off anything he can climb on. He has a clause in his life contract that stipulates he must receive one back ride per day. I would bet that Kade will grow up to be a coach, professional stuntman or underwear model.
Katie and I are so so blessed to have the family and friends we have. In the past 6+ months we have traveled to Boston for a wedding, the beach for Katies bday and Mexico for Rusty's bday all without the kids. That would not be possible of course without the help of our family and wonderful nanny Grace.
Thank you Mimi, Deda, JP, Todd, Bitzy, Abby, BB, DA, Aunt Becky, MaryBeth, Rusty, Leslie, Kristen, Ben, MacKenzie, Graham, Dave, Alex and the many many others who help us make this great big circus of life work.
Hopefully, it won't be 6 months until I update again but don't hold your breath :)
Peace out
Rhett
Other photo's from the past 6 months
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