And Babies Make Six

Is Your Garage Half Full or Half Empty?

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:18:00 +0000

Ours is now more than full. Today, Clif brought home his 1973 Chevrolet Nova SS Hatchback. It is black (~~and rust~~) and has entertained us all day long. He bought this when I was pregnant with the triplets. I guess he thought this might be his distraction from his quickly changing life.

She has spent 3 glorious years with Clif's cousin in North Georgia getting a mechanical makeover. There is still lots to do, but the economy has kept the progress going at a snail's pace. So today, we brought her home. I call her "The Money Pit." She still needs lots of cosmetic surgery (inside and out) and a fuel injection makeover . The list is quite long and neither one of us really has the guts to add it all up.

I followed him home and took a few cell phone pictures, but the entertainment of the day came when he tried to get her into the garage in a somewhat permanent position. I say that, because I know my husband. He says that he'll drive her every couple of weeks. I say she may need another overhaul before she runs much more. I have also just lost a great deal of real estate in the garage.

Here are two videos. I might be slightly sarcastic in these. And as for the second one. I haven't laughed so hard in months. And the exhaust....Let's just say I can still smell it in the garage.

Enjoy!

The '73 Nova from Lynne on Vimeo.

Clif's Nova - Parking in the Garage from Lynne on Vimeo.

Snowlanta

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:10:00 +0000

Sorry Mr. Goldfish

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:25:00 +0000

Our house is filled with lots of imagination. We get at least two versions of every story.

When I was in the shower today, Clif came in the bathroom and said Austin took care of one of the goldfish (we had 3 when I got in the shower). I asked what in the world he was talking about. He said, "He flushed one of the goldfish!" Austin told Clif that he had flushed the fish because it was dead.

Two minutes later Clif returned with version 2 of the story. You aren't' going to believe this one. Austin took the fish upstairs and put it under Lauren's pillow! Clif found it still barely moving and put it in the toilet. The poor little goldfish started swimming around. Trying to save him, Clif went down for the net to scoop him out. As he walked down the stairs, he heard the flush. Tyler had decided that he needed to do the honors.

When I got out of the shower I asked Austin what he was thinking. He said that he wanted a fish in his room. And there you have it. Five year old logic.

New Year's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:32:00 +0000

Clif is watching two football games at once on his laptop while the kids are playing Wii. Here's to a multi-tasking 2010! Just look at the smile on his face!

Girls, we have found the one thing men can multi-task.

And just 10 minutes later, the multi-tasking wears out his brain!

Chirstmas in KY

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:58:00 +0000

Rachel, Lauren, Micah
Austin, John, Andrew
Josh, Tyler

Twas the Night Before Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 02:06:00 +0000

Twas the Night Before Christmas...
when all through the house
EVERY creature is stirring,
even the mouse!
(we found Zhu Zhu pets; and they're kind of fun).

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nicolas would soon be there.

Children should be snuggled all nestled in bed.
Instead they are wrestling, laughing, and shrieking,
all to my dread.

And there is no kerchief, there is no cap.
Just loads and loads of those twisty things
that need untwisting before I nap.

Waiting for clatter...to see what is the matter.

Lawn loaded with 4 bags of reindeer food from all of our brood.

Hoping Santa isn't too heavy to fit down the pipe...
the treadmill has dusts of every type.

Pray for some sleep before midnight
as our little ones are likely to rise
with boundless energy way before light.

Off to the basement to take a last peek
to see if I can find all the stuff from last week!

Merry Christmas to all and to all parents....a good hour's sleep!!!

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:39:00 +0000

Wishing you all a very blessed Christmas!

Merry Christmas 2009 from Lynne on Vimeo.

Elf Report Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:09:00 +0000

Our little Elf is still causing great excitement and some behavior modification. We're using the boring locations so that I can pull out the big guns when they start to get bored. I'm still looking for good suggestions!

I'm baking and cooking all day, so I don't have much time to look on the web. Hmmm..I wonder if the Elf cooks?

P.S. Say a little prayer for my Grammy Poe. She had to go to the hospital yesterday and will be spending Thanksgiving there. As my mom put it, she pulled a Clif. She's in atrial fibrillation and was having a hard time catching her breath. The doctor came in this morning and said that she is still out of rhythm, but is doing well and will be out of CCU into a room soon.

Elf on the Shelf

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:24:00 +0000

I found a new BFF today. I bought an Elf on the Shelf doll and book. He is my new friend because he is being really helpful with discipline during the begining of this crazy season.

If you have never seen the Elf, here is the story. . .

The Elf comes to your house. As soon as you name him, he has magical powers. Those powers allow him to magically visit Santa every night to update Santa on your kids' behavior. Brilliant! When they go to sleep he travels to the North Pole and returns by morning to a new spot in the house. They are to race to find him in the morning.

What is even more brilliant (until they catch on) is the tradition goes that Santa told him 1) not to talk to the kids, and 2) the kids aren't allowed to touch him. If the kids touch him, his magical powers go away and Santa will think the kids forgot about him just before Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, the Elf rides with Santa back to the North Pole where he stays until next year.

My kids have bought this hook, line, and sinker. They are so excited. Their imaginations are going wild. Now, the fun part begins. If I can remember to move this Elf every night, we'll have something good. He has also been known to get into some mischief, so any suggestions of where he might end up are aprreciated. So far, we've come up with various places in the kitchen (including the fridge or freezer), the car, and who knows where else.

I know some of my Facebook friends have these for their kids, so I'm hoping we can all share some ideas. The downside of bringing him out early is the length of time you have to change him up, but if they keep believing that he's Santa's informant it will be "oh, so worth it!" Tyler was standing on the couch this afternoon and I said, "Oh, No!! The Elf saw you!!!!" He IMMEDIATELY sat down.

Ours is named Weekie. Which had to be drawn out of a hat of 2 choices.

To get one or learn more, visit the Elf on the Shelf web site.

4 Year Old Comedy

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:01:00 +0000

Kids are funny. They get funny around 2 and age 4 can be downright hilarious. Multiply that by 3 kids currently 4 in my house and call me entertained much of the time.

Here's a story from today.

We were on our way to preschool. I sometimes practice counting or do other memory things on the way to school. Today we were practicing phone numbers. We went through saying the home phone a few times, then my cell, then daddy's cell. The following conversation ensued:

John: "Mommy, I want a number. When am I going to have a number?"

Me: "Well, John. Some day you'll have a number. When you get older, you'll get a cell phone and then you'll have a number. We haven't decided when that will be yet. Maybe when you are 10 or 12."
John: "How about 10?"

Lauren: "No 12!!"

Tyler" "No!! 13!!!"

Me: [laughing at them arguing over a concept that they obviously don't get yet]

Lauren: "Mommy? Are you 12?"

Me: "No, Lauren. I'm 41."

Lauren: "I want to be 41 like you Mommy!"

John: "I want to be 65 like Daddy!"

Me: [laughing so hard my sides hurt (Daddy's about 20 years away from 65)]

John: "What's so funny?"

Me: "Daddy isn't 65 silly! He's 45!"

Tyler: "Mommy!!! Daddy's not 45! He's 46!!!"

Me: "Oh yeah! You're right Tyler."

N.e.e.d. M.o.r.e. C.o.f.f.e.e.

And now for a random picture:
Preschool Tumbling

From 2009-11-07

Halloween 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:10:00 +0000

It rained on us tonight because we went out early. I think the kids had more fun passing out candy then trick or treating. The highlight of the night was going to Austin's teacher's house. They all kept asking if we were there yet.

From 2009_10_halloween

Tyler, John, Lauren and Austin

From 2009_10_halloween

Our neighbor Pam.

From 2009_10_halloween

Getting cold and wet!

From 2009_10_halloween

Lauren's New Buddy

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:37:00 +0000

Lauren and I went to Kentucky last weekend after mom came home from her surgery. She is doing well. Lauren helped Granddad with his "honey-do list".

From 2009_10_25

The Castle

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:29:00 +0000

When my children get quiet it means BIG things are happening. Tonight, they cleared out the linen closet and built a castle.

Guess Where?

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:14:00 +0000

Turn on ESPN2.

We Don't Like Bangs

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:41:00 +0000

You would think I was talking about my daughter Lauren. No. As usual, I have another Tyler story. He came to me with safety scissors in hand and said, "Mommy, my hair was too long." (See the first row of photos.)

He apparently trimmed some of John's hair too, but I can't find the evidence (thank goodness). Clif took him to get it somewhat fixed. He kept saying, "I don't like hair on my forehead! I like it short!"

Mr. Carl fixed his hair up as best he could without going too short (see second row). This is the shortest it has ever been.

Asleep at Landing

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:22:00 +0000

Lauren was lulled to sleep on the long taxi to the gate at Atlanta. We have landed safely and sleepily.

Intrigued by the Safety Card

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:22:00 +0000

Tyler read the Safety Information card 3 times on the way home.

Proof that we are a little Crazy

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:58:00 +0000

This was taken at the airport.

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:37:00 +0000

My babies are 4 and we are blessed. I'm still having trouble refraining from calling them, "the babies". I'm getting better. It is getting easier because they are all so different.

Every year we think back on this day with gratefulness. We are humbled that we were given three children on the same day. They were more tiny that any of us ever could have imagined. It took a long while to realize that we were the parents of 4 children. It has finally soaked in and we are happily busy.

It may sound crazy when you call our house. That would be because....well, it is. These three started out as helpless preemies that we had to leave in the hospital for 6 and 10 weeks. Those weeks seemed like years. Now, the last 4 years seem like weeks. The weeks are flying by and they are singing, dancing, playing sports, and fighting like every other set of siblings in the world.

Happy Birthday John!
You were baby A and now you are a funny, musical little guy with a sweet personality. You love your rock and roll and baseball and soccer and light up our days. You still have that little laid back personality with the steady progress you had when you were first born.

Every night John asks, "Mommy? Are we going to have breakfast in the morning?"

Happy Birthday Lauren!
You were baby B and now your are a sweet little baby-doll loving girl with a strong personality. You keep your brothers in line and are developing into a talkative little girl who loves to make up songs to sing to us and your baby dolls.

Lauren is up to 8 babies and would love to have several more. She has all but the 3 she picked out last night as her birthday present named.

Happy Birthday Tyler!
You were the surprise. We didn't find out about you until a week after John and Lauren. They watched you carefully the whole time. If some of those docs could see you now! You had to fight the hardest to get out of NICU and now you fight hardest on the soccer field and are asking to play football. Who would have thought you'd have the best memory of the 6 of us with all of the NICU interventions and medications!

If you need to know something you forgot, ask Tyler. That's going to come in handy as we get even busier.

So for any expectant multiple moms finding this post, take heart. Thanks to a log of prayer and all of the advances in medicine, preemies have a great chance.

From 8-16-2009

This is me a couple of hours before delivery on 9-26-05.

From triplets_birthday

John, 2lbs., 13 oz.

From triplets_birthday

Lauren, 1lb., 6 oz.

From triplets_birthday

Tyler 2lb., 3oz.

From triplets_birthday

2nd Tooth Gone

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:15:00 +0000

Austin pulled his second tooth tonight. It was loose and I got it almost ready and said, "Do you want to pull it?" The next thing I knew he was doing the tooth fairy dance.

Last Week Swine Flu, This Week Floods

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:51:00 +0000

We were feeling pretty spunky this morning. We have been hibernating for about a week recoverig from the flu. We had varying symptoms, all pretty mild, but this buggar is persistent. Clif optimistically left the house for a charity golf tournament and I had all of the kids ready to go to school. The bus never showed up.

You'd think a half-way intelligent human being would try to find out why. We had no internet service, no home phone service, and no tv (thank you Comcast bundle). My next door neighbor left the house to sub at the school, so what was up with the bus?

On the way to take Austin to school my brain finally kicked in and I called a friend who told me that there was no school. Are you kidding? It's only raining. Well, having spent the last week working and taking care of sick people, I was a little out of touch. Apparently, the metro area of Atlanta has seen 10-15 inches of rain in the last day.

We have intersections flooded, buildings flooded, retaining walls collapsing and people losing their lives. One woman, only a few miles from our house. Please pray for those directly affected.

If you Twitter, the hashtag is #atlflood.

Ibuprofen- Side Effects (for parents)

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:04:00 +0000

Tyler was confirmed with the flu this afternoon. He had a fever of 101.4, congestion and a super red throat. Four hours later and a dose of Ibuprofen and this is what you get.

John slept for 3 hours and Austin and Lauren have runny noses. Here is to a crazy week!

Off to Preschool

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:04:00 +0000

From 2009_09_08

We are all excited about the first day of preschool this year. And, oh, what a difference a year makes. This year Austin is on the bus around 8 and they are already dressed and ready to go. Instead of rushing out the door I have an hour or so to get some work in before we leave.

Dressing Myself

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:16:00 +0000

It's a lovely 68 degrees with a cool breeze waiting for the bus this morning. My southern born children call that 'cold'. Tyler tried to convince Austin that he too needed a hat!

Techies in Training

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:21:00 +0000

They've taken over my IPod.