First Day of School x 4!!!!

Today is a BIG day in our house. Kate, Maggie, and Sarah have entered the world of Kindergarten. They are probably the youngest in their class since they won't actually be 5 until the end of this month, but they are ready. We couldn't hold them back any longer!

Silly Faces

Serious, study faces

Maggie

Sarah

Kate

Ella... first day of 1st grade, and she didn't even look up as she waved me off this morning. She's an old pro at this school stuff and has been eager to get back to "The Creek" since mid-July.

Now with a little bit of time on my hands I hope to develop a daily discipline for blogging to catch up on the thousands of photos and summer memories that are sitting idle in my head and on the computer. Stay tuned...

Kindergarten... the first

To say Ella is loving Kindergarten thus far would be a gross understatement! She walked in proudly on the first day, sat down, and got right to work. I was shocked that there were parents entering the classroom crying themselves.... I thought they would at least keep it together until they got out the door?!? Because she was so eager to get started and so darn happy, I didn't even tear up at all (very unlike my own kindergarten experience, right mom?).

The girls have missed Ella during the days, but for the most part they play incredibly well together when she isn't here. There seems to be more equality and sharing of the roll of "boss" between the three of them. I've heard Maggie say many times over the last several days, "I miss my Ella... when is big sissy coming home?"

After the first day Ella's report was that kindergarten was grand. When she climbed into the car and began chattering excitedly about all she had done and her new friends and her wonderful teacher, well, that was when I realized she had matured 5 year's worth in those 8 hours I wasn't with her... and then I had to try hard not to cry!

In the days since the first, she hasn't been quite as chatty but has asked if 1- I thought she might ever get to spend the night at her teachers' house, and 2- if she might call to ask her teacher about something, and 3- mom why didn't you tell me kindergarten was going to be so great?

I am incredibly excited that she is having such a great time! She is paving the way for Maggie, Kate, and Sarah too. Sarah has asked about a million times today if she will get to start kindergarten when she is only 4... seems she is ready for a little of the fun that big sis is having.

Tomorrow I've planned to volunteer in Ella's classroom. I can't wait to see her in action!

Pumpkin Patch 2009

Alternate Title: Almost Wordless, Barely Still Wednesday

Whoa... it's almost Christmas and I still haven't posted our favorite Pumpkin Patch pictures!! Enjoy the slide show for what's left of Wordless Wednesday... this little trip was so long ago I don't remember much to write about it anyway.

Fall Favorites 2009

We had to have our pictures made for our church directory last week, so we took advantage of the fact that we were all dressed and made a few pictures outside before we went. These were some of my favorites. Some of the girls were being more agreeable than others. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday: Sunflower Pictures

Disclaimer: Ella was off on a lunch date with her Daddy when I took all these cute sunflower and roses pictures last week. We've now missed the sunflowers, but we'll find some other excuse for a photo shoot with her very soon!

First Shiner

Yesterday afternoon the girls and I went over to Nanny and Pop C's. After playing outside on their wonderfully sloped driveway with their riding toys for an hour or more, the noise girls decided to come inside to play. After a quick snack and potty break, Kate declared, "Let's take these books upstairs and sing some pwaises," and off they all went. Pop C followed a few minutes behind them hoping to catch some of that pwaise singin' before they noticed him.

Once they caught sight of Pop, the giggling and laughter that we'd been able to hear amidst the singing increased significantly. I could tell from the sound of things that they were jumping on one of the beds. It sounded like great fun, and I didn't worry too much about it because their great- granddad was right there with them. However, all the fun came to a screeching halt when Maggie slipped off the top of the dresser they were jumping off of and fell between the dresser and bed. She banged her head into the corner of the foot board and her elbow on one of the dresser pulls. I heard the scream from my comfy seat downstairs, and ascended the stairs in only 4 or 5 steps.... just guessing. I found Miss Maggie in Pop C's arms. She was wailing, and his face was white as a ghost. To hear her tell it today, she scared Pop C to def. She's got a little bit of a shiner, but I've got to say, I can't imagine a better way to acquire one's first shiner than by jumping on the bed like a bunch of monkeys with your sisters and your Pop!

Quote of the Day

This afternoon I have been happily but frantically packing for a short weekend away with some triplet mom friends to the lake... a whole blessed 2 nights and 3 days of fixing only my plate, no fights to break up (unless the card games get out of hand), and sleeping until I feel like waking up.

Ella has been following me around step for step wanting to do exactly what I'm doing. Just a moment ago I got out a paper bag to put all my food and snacks in to take with me, and she wanted one of her own. I found a smaller one and gave it to her. She immediately started asking what she should put in her bag and then suggested I put her sisters' sippy cups in my bag.

I joyfully explained, "Where I'm going, we won't need sippy cups," and immediately had a Back to the Future moment.

So as you can tell, I need the break! I am excited to get away for a little bit.....

"I'll be back!"

Big Kid School

Thanks to Ms. Martha (the tall cow shown below) and her 3rd grade class, the girls were able to get an early start on their Halloween festivities this year. Ms. Martha's class has adopted Scott as a pen pal while he's in Iraq, and she invited the girls and I to come in for the Read-A-Thon today so that her students can get to know us a little bit and we them.



I was supposed to read to the class while my girls warmed up to the idea of being in a new, somewhat strange with all the costumes, place. However, just yesterday we got a new DVD from Scott of himself reading 3 books for the girls. So, we shared our DVD and got to listen to him read on the class room's big screen instead.

After his books were read, the class divided up and went to work at several fun centers. Ms. Martha invited the girls to just wander and participate in what ever they wanted. We carved a pumpkin, played with play dough and shape blocks, and finally warmed up to all the students and the "big kid school" environment. Ella worked on a special project, but I won't say any more about that and ruin the surprise for Scott.

The girls dressed up as "pitty pincesses". Several weeks ago it was decided that they would all be Fancy Nancy after their favorite literary character for Halloween, but then a couple of days after that my sweet friend Dena brought over several of her daughters outgrown princess dresses. Sarah immediately decided that she'd much rather be a "pitty pink pincess in-ted". In fact, Sarah has been excited about these dresses, particularly the pink ones, since Dena brought them. She really likes to wear them around the house... all the time! Thank you Dena for providing hours of dress up fun!

I thought I had done such a great job of collecting all the pincess attire last night. I remembered the Halloween shirts that I made them wear underneath the dresses that are too big. I remembered the blankety-blank clip clopity shoes... all four pair, and even the thick tights that went underneath it all for warmth. I just didn't allot enough time for feeding them and then dressing them in said outfits by myself and getting to school by 9am. We hijacked Mimi's morning, and she ended up going with us to school. Thanks to Mimi's help we were only just the tiniest bit late, but Ms. Martha didn't seem to mind at all.

We are thrilled and count ourselves very blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. A huge thank you to Ms. Martha's 3rd grade class for adopting Scott for your soldier pen pal, and for sharing in some fun activities with the girls and I. We had a great time and look forward to coming back to "the big kid school" again sometime soon!!

Recent Happenings

I've got about 10 posts already written and on hold in my drafts box... lots of stuff to write about and finish up and post, but tonight I just wanted to play catch up with the little things and a couple of pictures because that's what Scott is missing from Iraq. He's not necessarily as interested in the latest item we've reviewed or the giveaways and the like. He just wants to know about his girls, so here it is:

Sunday evening we had what will likely be the last impromptu cookout for the season by the pool at Mimi and Pop's. Of course, it was too cold for swimming and the pool's already covered, but the weather was nice enough for us to hang out in the cabana while Pop Dickie cooked on the grill. It was a completely spur of the moment gathering, and I think that made it even more fun!


For the last week Maggie, Kate, and Sarah have only napped about every other day. They are very, very tired and I am right there with them. I have no idea what the key to napping is, but I at least make them rest for an hour in their room. (By rest I actually mean, play like wild indians until someone gets hurt and starts screaming bloody murder, at which point I go in and shoo everyone back to their own beds.) Some triplet moms have suggested separating them for nap time, but with our set up and space it is just not possible. So we are beginning down the slippery slope toward no naps, and I'm not excited about it.... not in the least.

Mimi, my right hand man, left this morning for Memphis to visit Kari for a few days. I've know she was going to be gone, so I tried to plan out our time wisely. Tuesday is our Kindermusik day. The girls love Kindermusik and were therefore not too much trouble for me to feed and dress all by myself this morning. We picked up lunch on our way home. After lunch and a failed attempt at a nap, we loaded back into the car for a trip to the YMCA. Only after we drove the 20 miles there did I discover that the child watch area is open from 8a-12p and again from 4p-8p. So, at 1:30pm it was closed! Hey, I'm new there, so I will get those hours figured out soon!! We ended up just playing outside on the playground for a little while.

After the 48 degree weather became too much for us, what with our summer blood and all, we decided to go on to the nearest mall and ride the carousel. I needed a pair of tennis shoes. I decided that since I am the mother of all these children I am going to have to get used to taking them places on my own eventually, and Lord knows I didn't want to go straight home and face an afternoon full of whining (due to no naps previously mentioned) all on my own. We used the monkey/puppy backpack harnesses, and they worked about as well as they always do. The girls were tripping all over each other, getting into tangled messes every couple of feet, and occasionally one of them would fall while the other three ran in the other direction. However, it was the only safe way for me to take them on my own, so that's how we did it.

We entered near the carousel and found it to be closed. I pressed on to the shoe store. The hardest part was getting past the jewelry that was displayed on open tables in the middle of Sears, I think, for the holidays. Once we found the section of the shoe store that I wanted to check out, I made the girls sit down. I figured if they wouldn't be still I could always stand on the leashes while I checked out the shoes. Luckily I'm the quickest, most easy to please tennis shoe customer in the whole wide world. I picked out a new version of the same tennis shoe I've been wearing since the week after the girls came home from the hospital (yes, that long), tried it on, and that was done. I had the girls each sit in a chair while I waited in line to pay and then we were off.

Back past the jewelry displays and the gawkers in the mall. Back past the still closed carousel. We stopped for a cookie and then made it awkwardly, albeit safely, back to the Expedition. On the way home Maggie and Kate got a quick cat nap.

We had an early dinner, and Donna helped with early baths. Then I put them to bed at 7pm. At 8pm, after lots of screaming, yelling, stripping out of their clothes and diapers (back to their old tricks, had to bust out the duct tape again), and finally about 5 minutes of serious angst because they'd thrown their pacis over the gate, I returned their lovies and pacis, and put them back in bed for the final time tonight. I think the serious crying is what finally made them tired enough to fall asleep!!

Now I'm off to bed myself. I'll get the rest of my back logged posts and a couple of videos uploaded and posted soon... hopefully, if they nap or go to bed at a decent hour any time soon.

Saturday Fun

Early Saturday we got up, dressed, ate, and headed over with Mimi to meet Heather, Campbell, Luke, AP, and her sister Jennifer for the Gold Rush parade. We were busting it to get there by 10am, which by all of our recollections from college days was when the parade started.

Unfortunately for us, after we were parked and had schlepped all 6 kids about a mile up hill to the parade route from our cars, we realized that Gold Rush really wasn't all that crowded like we remembered. We forged ahead and found a great seat right on the Courthouse lawn at 10:05am.... which was unbelievable luck!

Except for the fact that this year the parade didn't start until 2pm! Doh?!? We all felt super smart for not having checked out the time, but we certainly weren't going to stick around until nap time for a parade. So we just continued straight through all the booths and headed out the other side of all the hoopla right in our beautiful old college campus. We took a leisurely walk through the NGCSU campus which has changed a great deal since any of us were students there .....well, as leisurely as you can imagine with 1 single stroller, two 3 year olds, both of whom were under the weather, and four 2 year olds.

Next we moved our little fiasco party to the local Chic-fil-A where cousin Nick provided some reinforcements to the by then wearying five adults in our party. This was the girls' (and Luke's) consolation prize... playing together at the playground. I think the big girls were a little bit sad about missing the candy, but no one else really seemed to mind missing the parade. Ella was just thrilled to be able to play with her best-est friend in the whole worl Campbell.

After we got home and Maggie, Kate, and Sarah went down for a nap, Ella was surprised with the news that she was going to spend the afternoon with Donna and her favorite cousin Cayden. It ended up being a sleep over for both Ella and Cayden at Donna and Mike's house that night, but the little girls and I went over for dinner and to play for a little while in the evening.

Before we headed over the little gals and I played outside in the garage and on the driveway for a couple of hours. That's where I got all these cute pictures and why Ella's not in any of them... she wasn't here. They played so hard. They rode bikes, pushed baby dolls in strollers, colored, cut with their new scissors, used their markers, sang me songs, and just had a grand old time!

We've since added one more sickie to the ranks here at the Silly Sister House. Starting sometime last night I noticed that Sarah was sneezing and sniffling too. However, we didn't let the colds get in the way of a fun filled Saturday morning and afternoon.