9.20.11: Conquering the slide

(left to right: stella, daphne, fiona)

It is still too hot to play outside so we have been frequenting local malls and enjoying the play areas. Today the girls all climbed on top of this book/structure at the same time. Before their feet hit the ground they were squirming to climb up again. They had a great time dominating the slide. I had a great time with them all playing in the same area - I even sat down for a minute.


(back to front: fiona, daphne, stella)

The girls also learned how to strum a guitar. Thankfully they didn't realize that I don't actually remember how to play much, but hopefully I can figure it out before they catch on.


We also had some surprise company this week. Nicole and Peter came to visit for a couple days. It was hilarious when Fiona and Daphne mimicked Nicole reading on her back all while Stella fed the dog and Peter explored some new toys.

9.12.11: Shortest walk ever

Today the girls and I embarked on the shortest walk ever. We haven't gone on a stroller walk outside since we moved, it has just been too hot. With Brant away on a business trip, I am desperate to keep the day full of activities so there is no time for fussiness. So when there was mild weather this morning, I jumped at the opportunity. Turns out I should have looked a little closer. Upon getting everyone into the stroller, I heard it - thunder. Surely thunder is okay as long as there is no rain or lightning. Then we get outside, light sprinkles. Surely light sprinkles are okay, as long as there is no lightning....then it happened. Lightning. We headed back in after less than five minutes.


We have had a great week with indoor activities. Brant found a way to give all three girls a horsey ride at the same time (left to right: daphne, stella and fiona).


(left to right: stella, fiona, daphne, nicole, peter)

Earlier in the week, the Marrones came over for our first play date in our new home. Somehow Nicole got all the girls and Peter to sit still and listen to a story. I'm not sure how she does this...but I really need to learn.

9.5.11: Backseat drivers

(left to right: daphne, stella, fiona)

Originally our plan was to keep the girls' car seats rear facing until they reached the maximum weight allowance of ~45lbs or at the very least another year. While this may seem crazy, our girls didn't know any different and were definitely entertained by each other while driving, so why not? However upon arrival to the extreme heat, something had to give. Not only was the sun directly in their eyes a portion of the day, but the A/C never circulated to the back of the car since their seats created a giant wall. After a 20 minute drive home, I had goosebumps from having the A/C on full blast yet the girls were very wet, sticky, and flush. Needless to say, something had to give.

So we did it, we turned the girls seats around. They surpassed the minimum requirements but I was still apprehensive. The good news, the seats still fit. Yes, that's right - three car seats fit forward facing in our Civic. The other good news, the girls LOVE it. They love telling me all about the surrounding cars, animals and signs that they see. What I didn't realize is that I was getting three backseat drivers. Within one mile of driving forward facing, I received instructions to both stop and go. Contrary to what the girls think, you can't always go at green lights. I suppose our next lesson needs to be on learning why one yields even when the light is green.

9.1.11: Settling in

After two days of solid packing/cleaning, four hours of movers loading, six hours of driving, two days at Nene's house, and two more hours of driving we finally arrived at our new home. The next several days were spent conquering the abundance of boxes consuming our new abode. Once the necessities were uncovered we got garage door openers installed, bought a kitchen table, had our AC break, bought a car, went to the dmv, got our AC repaired, went swimming in our very own pool, fixed various irrigation leaks, and attempted to reestablish a routine. So needless to say, things have been crazy busy even with the help of Nene and Nana over the past two weeks.

I must admit the girls have probably watched more tv moving week than they have in their entire lives - and they loved it! Even while the movers were loading we watched movies outside on the patio sitting in our triplet stroller in an attempt to stay out of the way.

I am amazed at the amount of tasks we have accomplished in the past two weeks, but still overwhelmed by those to come. We are doing our best to settle in and make the most of our new home and community. The girls are loving their new freedom to roam throughout the house although it is still somewhat restricted to box-free areas. The girls have been amazing, adjusting to all the changes easier than Brant and me. Each day gets easier and for that, we are VERY thankful!

8.18.11: Playmates

It may be a while before we get together with our weekly playmates again, so I took pictures with those kids the girls have spent the past two years growing up with...we are sure going to miss them!


(left to right: kenley, kamryn, stella, daphne, fiona)


(left to right: kari, stella, daphne, heather, ewan, fiona, liam)


(left to right: fiona, stella, daphne, fausto, heather, matias)

8.10.11: First babysitter

(left to right: stella, fiona, daphne)

I blew up some balloons while the girls were awake without realizing this was a new experience for them. Sure enough, the girls decided to imitate me the rest of the day. It always cracks me up when they are so excited about something new...like blowing up balloons.


Tonight we had our first (unrelated) babysitter. Heather and I did a sitting swap so both of us could have date nights without the cost (or trust issues) of using an unknown babysitter. We decided to document our happy sitter upon our safe arrival home. Since the girls were in bed before we left, they had no idea that they were getting babysat while Brant and I had a very nice dinner out.

8.7.11: LA reunion

In honor of the annual Kentucky reunion, the Williams (LA branch) had a mini-reunion today. It was the last chance to all get together before we move to Arizona. The girls were treated to some delicious food (which they devoured). I actually can't remember seeing the girls without food the entire time we were there (~three hours). We couldn't resist taking a picture of all the great-grandkids (including one who is due in a couple months).


(left to right: daphne, ian, mette/baby boy tbn, stella, fiona, devin)

8.2.11: Swimming lessons

I meet someone who runs a swim school and was willing to take on triplets + one parent for lessons. She even gave us a super deal since the lessons are usually for two kids, we got the third kid free. Thankfully Brant was able to come to a couple lessons to build up my confidence to go it alone. So for the past month, the girls and I have been taking swim lessons a couple times a week. They LOVE swimming. They learned all about kicking, paddling with their arms (aka doggy/kitty), splashing, blowing bubbles, climbing out of/jumping into the water and even gliding under water a little bit. Below are some of my favorite pictures the instructor took (fiona/pink, daphne/green, stella/purple). It was A LOT of work to get everyone to the pool and changed before/after the lesson and back home again, but totally worth it. I think we now know how to teach our girls to swim and soon they will have their very own pool to learn in.

7.31.11: Hello apes

(left to right: fiona, stella, daphne)

Today Brant and I tackled the zoo without a stroller. It was incredible, the girls did great! We even went to the petting zoo for the first time. Daphne and Stella loved petting the goats and sheep, but Fiona wasn't so sure about it. After numerous requests, we went to see every primate we could find. The girls were very tuckered out by the end of the visit so we carried them to the car, but overall they did a great job 'self' walking (as they would say).

7.28.11: Home Owners

(front to back: daphne, stella, fiona)

That's right, we are officially home owners!!! In lieu of the quintessential key hand off picture, we had our notary take a picture just after Brant and I signed our lives away. The girls were rather patient during the signing but were getting a little restless around picture time (and who can blame them). After mailing the documents back to escrow, we had to wait for everything to be finalized....and today....it is! We are home owners! Brant and I have waited a long time for this milestone and we are more than ready to settle down and give our girls a permanent home where they can grow up.