We were in need of a driving adventure to test out the new car, so we drove up to Mt. Lemmon to go hiking and play games for the afternoon. It was a wonderful break from the heat. (stella, fiona, daphne)
Back in March 2008, we bought a Honda Civic Hybrid and about eight months later we learned we were pregnant with triplets. Many said we would have to upgrade to a bigger car, but we are proud of the fact that we did not. We fit three bucket carriers, three rear facing convertible seats and still three forward facing seats in that Civic - much to many people's disbelief. We survived in that one car until our relocation to Arizona at which point we had to have two cars.
Having just bought a house and only one of us employed, we bought a less expensive second car that already had >100,000 miles on it. We knew this car wouldn't last forever. Days after Brant drove back from Santa Barbara, the car reached its end. With Nana in town, Brant and I took advantage of the babysitting and went out car shopping. After hours of negotiations we ended up with a new car. We asked the girls what their favorite part about the new car was....the air in the back, the 'tv' (dashboard screen) in the front, and my personal favorite...the one that got the biggest oohs and aahs...the back windows go ALL THE WAY DOWN. Yes, that's right, turns out this minor detail made our kids thrilled. We were just excited for a new, safe, reliable car.
Today was our sixth annual family day, the day everyone was finally home from the hospital back in 2009. This is a very important day for us as it always brings back memories of those tough weeks while the girls were in the NICU. This day always reminds us how lucky we are to have a happy and healthy family - none of which we take for granted. We celebrated by spending the day together and, as is our tradition, getting pictures taken (left to right: Daphne, Stella, Fiona). We love you girls!
Not only did Daddy just return home, but Nana came to visit. Since preschool was ongoing but Nana was in town, we came up with a compromise. Everyone got a special day with Nana, just one-on-one. Each girl independently got to skip school for the day and do whatever she and Nana wanted to do. Then Nana picked up the remaining girls at school and they all got to spend the afternoon together. We figured in less than a month, the girls would be attending 'real school' where skipping was less permissible so we needed to take advantage of this opportunity now. Needless to say, they all very much enjoyed there one-on-one time. I think Brant and I were even a little jealous that we can't do something similar :)
We were more than thrilled when Brant arrived home safely tonight. Santa Barbara was amazing, but having Brant gone for five weeks was tough (thankfully we were all together for two of them in California). No picture capturing the moment, we were ALL too excited to be together.
During the month of July, preschool is only open until 2:30. I'm sure this is manageable for most, but for two working parents, this provides an additional challenge. With Brant still gone, the girls and I decided we would have 'Movie Week'. This meant each day when I picked them up from school we would come home, have a snack, and watch a movie. That allowed me the opportunity to finish working while the girls were thrilled to relax and watch a movie after a full day of playing in the hot sun at preschool. Without having to commute home at night, we were able to squeeze in some extra game time each evening.
After a very straightforward flight home from Los Angeles, the girls and I (Brant was driving home later this week) entered to a small lake in the laundry room that expanded well into the hallway. It seems the washing machine had a mind of its own while we were gone and although it was completely empty, open and had not been used several days before our departure, it filled itself up with water, overflowed and created a mess. Putting aside the mysterious puddle for a while, I went to confirm the toilets were working and sure enough 2/3 were not. My non eventful day was quickly changing. While upstairs dealing with toilets, I told the girls to stay out of the puddle and play in the play room while I got the house back in order (or tried to). Sure enough, I start to hear giggles - too many giggles. I came downstairs to discover that the puddle had been splashed all over the walls and furniture by three little girls who decided together it was a good idea to jump in the (hopefully clean) water. I did not agree.
After a very successful Sea Squirt Camp the girls were excited to go to Contraption Camp the following week. This camp focused on building, testing, and the science behind simple machines. Held at the Natural History Museum, the girls were able to explore the exhibits, planetarium and the amazing live butterfly exhibition where butterflies flurried around a giant greenhouse and even landed on us.
For the final project of Contraption Camp, the girls created a contraption that could smash an egg. Each contraption used a different simple machine (or many) that they learned about during the week.
daphne
fiona
stella
Some of the contraptions created during contraption camp
Our little ladies were in contraption camp when a news reporter stopped by to do a story on the Natural History museum's exhibit. She needed some volunteers to play in the exhibit and guess who the teacher's picked....that's right. Less than two weeks in Santa Barbara and our little ladies were in the local news.
Children are transported into urban, woodland and stream settings.
Each area features a variety of educational activities including props, costumes and puppets that underscore the importance of protecting ecosystems, as well as highlighting ways to reduce, reuse and recycle resources.
Oh yes...we found a park right next to the ocean that had a zip line...a kid sized zip line! I would estimate the girls went on the zip line at least fifty times....each!
fiona
daphne
stella
Once we had our fill of the zip line and ocean for the day, we went to the zoo. The Santa Barbara Zoo is great with lots of opportunities to interact with animals...perhaps more than we expected. After feeding the goats then posing for a picture, Fiona, Stella and Daphne were a little surprised when the goat rammed the fence in an attempt to get more food.
We tried to feed fish but the ducks ended up stealing most of the food.
The only full weekend we were in Santa Barbara happened to coincide with Summer Solstice and there just happened to be a giant festival in town. We had a great time playing at the largest play structure we have ever seen modeled after a giant wood fort. With nooks, crannies and secret passages abound, even Brant and I found ourselves playing, taking a break only to enjoy the bounce houses and festival treats.
In June 2009 our lives changed forever upon the arrival of our triplet daughters. This blog documents all of our adventures for our family, friends, and, of course, the girls (once they can read).
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